Category Archives: Current Events

While continuing his incessant rhetoric and relentless campaign through the United Nations (of which the Palestinians are not even a member) to denigrate and delegitimize Israel—the only democratic state in the entire Middle East—Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is ecstatic over the turmoil within the Knesset, the seat of Israeli government. His narrative tracks with Muslims and Islamic governments: Wouldn’t it be great if Israel would implode from within … it would save them the risk of destroying Israel.

Regarding governments, the following is an excerpt from Eye of Prophecy article: Kingdom of God, posted 1-17-15. (In italics).

From the dawn of human existence virtually every kind of government has been in place at one time or another. A country’s government is often a reflection of its people … their race, beliefs (religious or secular), moral values, ethnic upbringing and tribal territory. But sometimes government can be an ill-conceived and unwanted bureaucracy with leaders vying for power and supremacy. All too often, innocent people are victimized by such power struggles, both citizens of the country and residents of neighboring nations that take exception to such Machiavelli type systems.

The common people, representatives of those people, wealthy entrepreneurs, ambitious leaders (good and bad), or all of the above can determine whether a country will become a parliamentary or a democratic representative republic; an absolute (king/queen) or constitutional monarch; an autocratic ruler or state controlled (communism or fascism) dictatorship; an aristocratic or military oligarchy; a cleric-run theocracy or even a true Theocracy. The idea of a theocentric government is, “having God as the central interest and ultimate concern.” (Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary).

… Moreover, the destiny of nations (both good and bad) has often been determined by the benevolence or malevolence of rulers … the laws they make and enforce, the decrees they issue, decisions they make, benefits they provide, and goals they aspire to. As the leaders go, so go the people. A ruler with integrity, compassion, and wisdom can be, and often is, a moral compass to the entire nation. Conversely, a selfish, deceitful, evil ruler can bring an entire nation down.

Although our United States republic form of government is quite impressive (as are a few constitutional monarchies with parliamentary democracies such as Canada, Australia, Great Britain, and some European countries), I’m not alone in my opinion that Israel’s coalition Knesset—in principle and practice—is the optimum representative government on this planet. Though sometimes complicated, the Israeli government allows the voice of its citizens to be heard as much or more than any other nation.

(A Young Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom. Though not directly involved in England’s Parliamentary Government, The Royal Throne of England still carries considerable prestige and positional authority to balance democracy with monarchy)

(A 2012 photo of Queen Elizabeth II. Currently she is 91 years old and has reigned for 66 years)

As effective as the two-party system is in America; once a Republican or Democrat President is elected, short of impeachment we’re stuck (good or bad depending on your point of view) with that administration for four years. This was especially revealing in the past three presidential elections. Seldom in our history have Americans been so diametrically divided, so poignantly polarized. After Donald Trump’s election to the highest office in America, many democrats exclaimed, “He is not our President.” This was more than mere rhetoric; it was an expression of fermented frustration and seething hatred. Republicans effectively said the same thing when Barack Obama was elected, not once but twice.

Mid-term elections for the House of Representatives and the Senate sometimes level the playing field between a Republican or Democrat administration and Congress. However, they also can partially paralyze an administration’s platform, by refusing to cross-vote approval (bipartisan) of Presidential policies, to the detriment of the greater American populace.

Israel’s Knesset

Israel’s government is unique. Unlike America’s two-party system (sometimes a third party can influence the outcome of an election, but not often) and other democratic countries that have three, four, or five parties, the Knesset normally has ten or more coalition blocs. The current Knesset has eleven parliamentary groups each with a certain number of representatives that constitute the 120 members of the Knesset, called MKs. After an election, the Prime Minister must form a composite (minimum) 61-seat coalition consisting of any number of the parties who agree to be part of that majority. All the remaining parties (seats) constitute the “opposition.”

The current Knesset is the 20th since Israel’s rebirth as a nation in 1948. The Prime Minister and his/her government is elected for a four-year term. But when you do the math, it doesn’t add up. Israelis will celebrate their 70th year as a nation this coming May. Which means this should be the 17th Knesset (70 years of statehood divided by four-year Knesset terms). Why the discrepancy? Answer: Because Israeli law allows for any Knesset government to be dissolved, with special (between terms) elections held to form a “new” government, which may or may not retain the current Prime Minister.

In fact, the current Israeli government came into being by such a special election in March 2015. The 19th Knesset with Benjamin Netanyahu as Prime Minister was elected in 2013 but lasted less than two years. The current administration’s term is set to expire in November 2019, with actual elections taking place earlier next year.

Theoretically, Israelis have the best of both worlds: The same (or different) Prime Minister they support as a unified whole with a new-look coalition government that still represents the entire population. One of the remarkable features (proofs) of that cross-section representation and voice is that Avigdor Liberman, head of the Yisrael Beitenu party composed currently of only 6 seats.

Liberman is Israel’s Defense Minister, one of the more prominent and powerful positions in the Israeli government, appointed by the Prime Minister (just like the U.S. President appoints Department heads). You would think that the Defense Minister would come from the Likud (Netanyahu’s party) which currently has 30 of the 120 Knesset seats. Such is the political sharing of power and responsibility in the Israeli government. For example, how often does a Democrat President of the United States appoint a Republican as Secretary of State or Defense? Or vice versa?

In the United States, we have two main parties (platforms) to choose from. In Israel, each of the current 10 parties has a primary platform with several secondary agendas—all of which have potential to be implemented in some form or another. This despite the adage (paraphrasing): If you put three Jews together, you’ll get at least four opinions. I repeat this saying as a compliment to Jews and to Israel; proportionate to their numbers, they get more done for themselves and for humanity than any other race. Which is one of the reasons they have been irrationally persecuted through the ages … Anti-Semitic jealousy.

Nonetheless, whenever a special election in Israel has taken place with a new coalition government and possibly Prime Minister, it has occurred under trying times and controversial circumstances. To some degree or another, it is a crisis that can compromise Israel’s stability and jeopardize her security.

Troubling Times in Israel

Since when has Israel not had troubling times? Here, I’m referring to the more obvious turbulent trials and tests from Israel’s not-so-friendly (understatement) neighbors. Some of whom want to destroy Israel as a nation. Others stop short of threatening Israel’s annihilation, but still want Israel to become Palestine again, free of all Jewish presence. Despite the Biblical and historical fact that this land promised by God to Abraham and his descendants has been Israel for 3,000 years.

Internally, Israel is experiencing some exceptionally troubled times especially in the past few weeks. Beginning with inordinate focus by some on whether Benjamin Netanyahu should remain as Israel’s Prime Minister. Should Netanyahu call for a special election or should the Knesset dissolve itself to determine if the people want him to stay or to be replaced?

Like many leaders of free nations—as opposed to tyrannical countries whose citizens are forbidden to openly criticize their government, and whose dictator is virtually immune from legal prosecution—Benjamin has been under suspicion of misconduct (whether illegal or only unethical or neither remains to be seen). In this case, it pertains to alleged kickbacks and/or coercion in the private sector.

(Although Israel can barely been seen, by color its rating is “high.” For many reasons, Israel should be colored green on this chart. What other nation in the world allows those who don’t even acknowledge the sovereignty of the nation to serve in government? See Knesset chart above that shows the Arab party as the 3rd largest in the Knesset!)

Although these “scandals” are still in the investigative stage (much like former US President Obama’s birth certificate issue or President Trump’s supposed complicity with Russia’s interference in U.S. elections or any number of suspected improprieties of other democratic leaders the world over), there are those who have demanded that Netanyahu resign from office. Which is tantamount to admitting guilt without even being charged, let alone convicted.

These issues have been compounded by the recent threat of the (ultra-Orthodox) United Torah Judaism party (6 seats in the Knesset) to abandon the current 66-seat majority held by Netanyahu’s coalition(s), which could jeopardize not only passage of the pending national budget but would end (numerically) the coalition itself. Reason for United Torah’s threatened exit from the coalition: insisting their bill to amend IDF conscription for Jewish religious students must be voted on before the budget vote. This was countered by Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman’s staunch support of conscription laws for ALL Jews; so that secular Jews would not bear the unequal burden of defending Israel alone.

Other parties and their leaders (each party has one main leader) were in favor of a special election or not, depending upon whether they (according to the polls) would gain or lose seats in the Knesset. For example: Opposition party, Yesh Atid, which stood to double their Knesset seats (11 current seats) and the Meretz party (would gain 1-3 seats) called for dissolution of the Knesset. Which, if approved, would mandate a special election whether one had been called for by the Prime Minister or not. By law, this special election must take place within three months. In fact, there were several bills introduced in rapid-fire succession to dissolve the Knesset. All of them have failed to pass.

Time/space does not permit extensive elaboration on the ins and outs of what was, could have been, and what still may happen in Israel. Except to say that the repercussions of an unwarranted (or if warranted through due process of law) premature removal of any free-world leader, especially someone of the prominence of Benjamin Netanyahu, could do substantially more harm to a nation than allowing the leader to remain in office until he/she is arraigned, but also convicted. At the very least, the opposition parties in Israel should wait to see if Netanyahu will be charged with any wrongdoing. This also appears to be the passionate position of most Israelis.

A premier example of such a situation was that of former US President Richard Nixon. Before and even after his illegal circumvention of the law (Watergate), he orchestrated some major improvements in America’s diplomacy with several foreign nations, particularly China. He also sent massive aid to Israel during the Yom Kippur War of 1973. Without such aid, Israel would have been hard pressed to win that war. I’m not defending Richard Nixon for what he obviously should not have done. Rather, I’m putting it in a broader perspective of his accomplishments until the facts proved him complicit in/of burglary.

Here’s what Prime Minister Netanyahu said to the opposition parties, with emphasis that he wanted to keep his current six-party (66 seats) coalition intact. In my opinion, he was not boasting. Instead he was simply summarizing the current state-of-affairs within Israel and outside of Israel, including the amazing diplomatic progress Israel has made with foreign nations. Whether they like Netanyahu personally or not, Arab nations such as Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and some of the Gulf-Coast nations are beginning to acknowledge Israel’s achievements and presence on the world stage. These and other non-Arab governments also realize that Israel is the only Middle-East nation that has the military might and national courage to stand up to their common enemy, Iran.

Said Netanyahu:

“I do not think we had to get to this point. We have an excellent government that carries out its duties responsibly, with the proper discretion and with stability. This is a government that marks great achievements for Israel. I call on all the coalition partners, and chief among them (Yisrael Beitenu party) Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, to remain in the government and continue this partnership in order to ensure security, prosperity and stability for Israel.”

Netanyahu repeated the need for a “solid, stable government,” then went on to say:

“Should there be an election, we will run and we will win” (Note: that statement was based on several polls recently taken in Israel).

“But we are not there yet. The hour is late, but not too late. We have to make an effort—a supreme effort—to preserve the government in its current composition.”

Why Is This Dilemma Different or Could Be More Damaging?

Why is the current situation more acute and potentially more dangerous than difficulties experienced by past Israeli governments which did or didn’t survive their four-year term? Two mains reasons:

(1) It comes at a time when Israel’s overall posture in world affairs and global scrutiny has never been better. A time that (slowly) began at Israel’s rebirth in 1948; then its extraordinary agricultural, economic, scientific, cultural, medical, and military achievements. It is a growth phenomenon that has developed exponentially, particularly in the past few years under the superb leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has adeptly promoted Israel’s accomplishments and willingness to share (in principle and in practice …. by helping those who wants Israel’s help) these advancements with other nations.

(2) Muslims may see the current crisis in Israel as an opportunity to act more quickly … meaning in the not so distant future. Since defeat in the Yom Kippur War of 1973, Islam in general and Muslim nations have been content with a patient, plodding plan based partly on the Koran, in which Muhammad (allegedly from Allah) believed that whatever Jews remained in their land would eventually self-destruct through corruption of some sort. Unlike the true and living God and God’s prophets through whom God forecasted the future, Muhammad could not have known (and probably has, as they say, turned over in his grave) the miraculous return of the Jews to and restoration of the Promised Land of Israel. And approaching a pinnacle not experienced since the glory years of King David and King Solomon.

However, in the past few years and even months, Muslims (whether Arab or not) have grown impatient. They see Israel progressing rapidly, not regressing as they had been told and hoped would happen. This impatience is fueled (mostly) by the radical Shi’ite Muslim terrorist government of Iran, embodied in its supreme leader Ayatollah, with a menacing motive that the Muslim messiah (Mahdi) will soon appear to subjugate all Jews and Christians.

(Time will soon tell who will appear as the true Messiah!)

(Please see Eye of Prophecy articles: The World Wants a Messiah … But Needs (The) Messiah, posted 1-28-17. Also, Globalism or Populism … Which Will Antichrist Prefer? Posted 9-16-17)

These are counterfeit copy-cat versions of the amazing anticipation of many Christians that the true Messiah is about to return. Many Jews also harbor great expectations for the coming Messiah, but only Messianic Jews know (believe) him to be Jesus. Obviously, there is night and day differences between the true Messiah and these false messiahs.

For example: Radical Muslims believe their Mahdi won’t appear until or unless moderate Muslims actively (instead of just passive agreement) support and expand Jihad on a greater global scale, to accomplish their sinister goal of a Caliphate (Islamic World Government).

Listen to this direct quote from Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Erdogan (keeping in mind that Turkey is a member of NATO): “The term ‘moderate Islam’ is ugly and offensive. There is no moderate Islam. Islam is Islam.”

(For an in-depth expose on “radical Islam” vs “moderate-Islam” and Islam in general, please see Eye of Prophecy articles, A Religion of Peace! Part I & II. Posted 4-11 & 4-18-15).

Now, I’m going to propose a surprising and even illogical premise:

The current crisis in Israel is a good thing.

Because it fits with another premise: Which is in the form of a covenant oath made by the true and living God with Abraham that Israel would belong to Abraham’s descendants forever. From the God of all who are his children because they (Jew and Gentile alike) have believed and received his Son’s sacrificial death for sins, by the New Covenant of Grace promised by God through Jeremiah the prophet. The Lord began his post-Noah relationship with humanity as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then after the Moses-led Exodus and subsequently the Joshua-led victory into the Promised Land, he became the God of Israel. The same God who said Israel would be a light to all the nations (through Messiah). That he would bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel.

Problem Resolved (For Now)

Following some whirlwind negotiations with the divergent parties, Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed the Knesset earlier this week. He said:

“I promised to preserve the government and I kept my word. I thank my partners in the coalition for demonstrating responsibility so that we can continue to lead Israel with determination and success in security, economy, society and foreign relations.”

Alluding to the potential adverse aftermath of an unsuccessful resolution of the problem, Netanyahu went on to say with a bit of humor: “That was scary, wasn’t it? I see you have some color back in your cheeks. I know that I spared you some anguish… The public’s support for us is tremendous.”

(Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking at the Knesset)

Shas (religious party with 7 seats) leader, Aryeh Deri said: “I congratulate the coalition partners for acting responsibly in the moment of truth and allowing this good government to carry on in its activities, which benefit the entire public.”

Thus, the current crisis—seemingly resolved between the involved Knesset parties, but one that could erupt again—is ultimately good for Israel. It’s good because both secular and observant Jews realize that too much disunity could adversely affect Israel’s solidarity within the nation; but also jeopardize Israel’s security with its enemies. It’s good because the secular among them will hopefully see more clearly that ultimate (optimum) uninterrupted unity is only possible by once again returning to their God, the God of Israel. For secular and religious alike to fully realize that God’s appointed Messiah (the Son of God, Psalm 2, Psalm 110) will be the only one who can (and will) redeem and restore Israel to what God intended for them in the beginning—a nation of born-again priests—who will rule and reign with Messiah in Israel. And yet who are one in Messiah (Jesus) with Gentile believers, who have been grafted in to the prophetic tree of Israel. In that regard, they will fulfill their (Israel’s) destiny.

It’s also good for the United States and other nations/peoples when we more fully appreciate the miracle of Israel itself. That against all odds, Israel has won (survived) four wars against Arab nations. And not only survived but has grown in prosperity and posture among the nations.

Despite the sometimes-debilitating disputes among themselves, Jews in Israel (and all over the world) passionately exhibit one unifying trait and defend one ultimate purpose: the survival of Israel as a people, as a sovereign democratic state, as a nation reborn from the floods of dispersion and from the fires of Nazi death camps.

Jewish citizens of Israel synthesize over one common denominator: an enemy who wants to reduce them to ashes, to drown them in the sea, to erase Israel from memory, from all maps of the civilized world.

The Final Kingdom of God on Earth … Jew & Gentile, One in Messiah

Though I love all of Scripture, I will quote (as done in a few previous articles) one of my favorite passages in the Bible; a sweeping prophecy portraying both the first and second coming of Messiah:

Here is another excerpt from the earlier mentioned article, Kingdom of God (in italics):

Paul proceeds to tell us more about God’s splendid plan for the human race. In fact, he calls it a mystery, because at the time that God gave it to him even the new Christians didn’t completely understand the eternal implications of what Christ would achieve at his first coming and would continue at his second coming. Listen to these extraordinary words:

“God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth” (Ephesians 1:9-10).

That plan is none other than: THE KINGDOM OF GOD (on earth) ….

Jesus spoke often of the Kingdom of God; for example, comparing it to a mustard seed … the smallest of seeds that when planted grows into an enormous tree. Which is exactly what has happened to the body of Christ; an exponential growth down through the ages, to now consist of believers from virtually every nation and language on earth. It is the Kingdom of Heaven in the hearts and minds of those who have been redeemed by the shed blood of Christ. Next, will come the final physical Kingdom of God on this earth; at which time all people, all governments, all nations will be brought under the authority of God’s magnificent Son. He will rule the nations with firmness, but fairness

Isn’t that what most people want? They want: law, order, equality, safety, peace. And they want someone who has the kind of authority to realize those dreams, but also someone who is kind and considerate with that authority. One who truly cares about people and what’s best for them; who can rule and judge with impartiality and kindness. A truly wise and benevolent King whose attributes perfectly reflect who and what he is: Love, Truth, Justice, Mercy.

Summary

Beginning with another excerpt, this one from Eye of Prophecy article: Israel Is Here To Stay … Forever! Published 4-15-17. (In italics)

In the first century A.D., thousands throughout Israel believed Jesus was the Messiah. Tragically, most of the religious leaders and many people did not—despite the dozens of miracles they witnessed or heard of first hand. Even after Jesus arose from the dead, most did not believe in him. Then, just as Jesus predicted, Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by the Romans less than 40 years after he ascended back to heaven. This happened because God’s own people rejected Messiah, just as Jesus said would happen with these poignant words:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate. For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (Matthew 23:37-39).

God withdrew his protection of Israel. He would leave them to their own fate until the appointed time when the Lord would unilaterally initiate the completion (fulfillment) of his covenant with Abraham. Which was the sovereign possession of the Promised Land forever by the Jews.

That appointed time has come.

Despite 1,900 years of exile and persecution at the hands of many nations and peoples (even by Christians … with the vast majority Christian in name only, not true born-again believers), culminating in the unimaginable Holocaust perpetrated by a perverse man and his equally sadistic Third Reich, Israel is alive and well. According to the sure word of Biblical prophecy, the Jews will never again be uprooted from their Promised Land. They will never again be decimated, dominated, or defeated by Gentile nations.

I repeat with Biblical authority for emphasis: NEVER AGAIN.

Persecuted, yes. Attacked, also yes—by the Gog/Magog coalition in the first half and by the ten-nation confederation of Antichrist Nero in the second half of the Great Tribulation. But not destroyed.

Only those who oppose Israel will be soundly defeated and destroyed. That should be a cause for pause for peoples or nations that would seek to harm the pupil of God’s eye.

…Despite our many individual and national faults, I love the United States of America. And I love Israel and the Jews. They are God’s special possession, chosen to give the world God’s awesome Word, including the Living Word of God, Messiah Jesus. With the Apostle Paul (once named Saul, once a devout Pharisee and defender of the Mosaic Law who was changed forever by a direct encounter with Jesus), I also say:

“Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God” (Romans 10:1-4).

There is only one nation on earth that has been guaranteed everlasting existence … Israel. That ironclad promise is unfolding before our 21st century eyes. No more will Israel implode from within as she did before the Babylonian Captivity of 586 B.C. and the Roman Dispersion of 70 A.D. No more will she be exploited and exploded from without by nations who tried to destroy the very existence of the Jews as a race and Israel as a nation in perpetuity.

The Kingdom of God and the reign of its Messiah King will last forever.

“He (Messiah) was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed” (Daniel 7:14)

The Kingdom of God will rule from Jerusalem, Israel. Thus, the eternal undivided capital of Jerusalem and Israel are also eternal.

“How great is the Lord, how deserving of praise, in the city of our God, which sits on his holy mountain! It is high and magnificent; the whole earth rejoices to see it! Mount Zion (Jerusalem), the holy mountain, is the city of the great King! … It is the city of our God; he will make it safe forever” (Psalm 48:1-2 & 8).

“…I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. In that day Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this will be its name: ‘The Lord is Our Righteousness.’

“For this is what the Lord says: ‘David will have a descendant sitting on the throne of Israel forever’” (Jeremiah 33:15-17).

Quoting again from the article: Israel Is Here To Stay … Forever!

AS ISRAEL GOES SO GOES THE WORLD

Israel is alive and well!

God will fulfill his promise to Abraham. Not only to give the Promised Land in perpetuity to the Jews, but to also richly bless the Gentile nations from the land where Messiah himself will one day (soon) live and rule. We would do well as individuals and as a nation to support and defend Israel, both in word and deed.

Then later in that article:

Against impossible odds, the Jews have returned to Israel; Hebrew has been resurrected from a dead language; Israel is once again a sovereign nation among the family of nations on this earth. This has never happened to any other people or nation. There is one and only one reason for it: The sovereignty of the one and true living God. What the Lord says he will do, he does. What he says will happen, happens.

Recording and reviewing history without including the God of the Bible—a timeless book, past, present, future—is like pretending that a watch doesn’t have a watchmaker. Or that the watch was not created to measure and tell time…. The Bible is not only the measure of universal divine truth, it is also a historical timeline of timely events integral to God’s prophetic plan.

Things to Ponder

“Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! … Honor and majesty surround him; strength and beauty fill his sanctuary. O nations of the world, recognize the Lord; recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong. Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! … Worship the Lord in all his splendor. Let all the earth tremble before him. Tell all the nations, ‘The Lord reigns!’ The world stands firm and cannot be shaken… (unless and until the Lord shakes it himself … Haggai 2:21).

“…He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with his truth” (Psalm 96:4-13, parenthesis mine).

Since we declared our independence in 1776, for the most part the United States of America has heeded these words of wisdom and warning. That is until the past few decades—our current (Omega) generation that I’m convinced will see the Day of the Lord, beginning with the Rapture.

Sadly, we’ve fallen into a perilous condition that the Apostle Paul graphically described as characteristic of the final generation:

“You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God” (II Timothy 3:1-4).

On the other hand, we’ve seen many of the wonderful positive things that would occur, not the least of which is Israel’s rebirth and an explosion of the gospel throughout the world. To include the salvation of thousands upon thousands of Jews, unprecedented since the first century. I personally know some of these Messianic Jews, one of whom I consider a good friend.

Said the Apostle Paul: “I ask then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin. No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning…” (Romans 11:1-2).

One day soon, “…all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26).

“Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you. Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you. All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance” (Isaiah 60:1-3).

One day soon, “…the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord—his name alone will be worshipped” (Zechariah 14:9).

“Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran are on a collision course, a leading expert said on Sunday in the wake of Saturday’s clash between the Jewish state and forces loyal to Iran in neighboring Syria.”

These are the opening words of an article written by Benjamin Kerstein originally posted in the Israeli online news source, Algemeiner.com on February 12, 2018.

Before and especially after the outrageous Iran Nuclear Deal (finalized in April, 2015 … see Eye of Prophecy article, A Deal That Will Live in Infamy, posted 8-1-15), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Iran directly and the world-at-large secondarily that Israel cannot risk and will not tolerate a nuclear-armed Iran. Nor will Israel condone the transfer of precision-guided Iranian missiles (sold by Russia to Iran) through Syria into Lebanon. For several years now, Israel has launched strikes into Syria against these armament convoys. It’s clear that the IDF’s surgical strikes have been a deterrent to an even greater build-up and deployment of missiles in Syria and Lebanon.

This past Saturday (February 10th), in the early morning hours, an Iranian “stealth” drone was launched from a caravan near the T4 (Tiyos) airbase in the central desert of Syria, not far from Palmyra. The “elite” Iranian Quds Force took over this airbase some time ago and operates it to transport and release drones and missiles throughout Syria. In the past (it’s been several years), Hezbollah has fired rockets into Israel, but Iran itself has not.

Until now.

(Iranian Drones & Iran’s Ayatollah)

The article by Benjamin Kerstein continues: “There is a ‘major strategic clash on the horizon,’ said Amos Yadlin, the former head of IDF Intelligence and Executive Director of the Institute for National Security Studies. ‘We are speaking about an attempt that has never been made before,’ Yadlin said of the drone infiltration, and added that the motivation was Iran’s desire to prevent Israel’s ongoing attempts to prevent weapons transfers to the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon.

‘The Iranians … wanted to show Israel that it is also capable of attacking (Israeli) territory,’ Yadlin commented. The Iranians hoped that Israel would not respond to the escalation, but were quickly proven wrong.”

*Note: The more immediate motive for Iran’s unprecedented action was retaliation for Israel’s raid on an Iranian/Syrian weapons production facility near Damascus a few weeks earlier. Yet, in the past Iran had not responded to Israeli raids on Syrian weapons facilities. Therefore, this was Iran’s audacious attempt to directly strike a blow against Israel, and to test Israel’s resolve.

The article concludes with, “Yadlin stated in a conference call that the ongoing conflict is born of ‘Iran’s determination to build a force in Syria, and Israel’s determination not to let them.’

“A former IAF pilot, Yadlin took part in 1981’s legendary Operation Opera, which destroyed Iraq’s nuclear facility in Osirak.”

Note: That daring Israeli attack into the heart of Iraq was subsequently acknowledged by the United States and most Western nations as the main reason why Saddam Hussein never developed nuclear weapons.

Iran’s Futile Scheme to Surprise Israel

As though the Iranians thought they would catch Israel off-guard or outwit Israeli defenses, they directed the flight-path of the drone through Syrian airspace into Jordan, with the drone then manipulated suddenly into Israeli airspace. After monitoring the entire course of the drone, Israel waited 90 seconds to determine if the drone would remain in Israeli territory. When the Israeli Defense Force concluded that the drone was heading deeper into Israel, an IDF Apache helicopter shot it out of the sky.

Slightly over an hour later, eight Israeli F-16 fighter jets were scrambled to deal with the original source of what could have been several Israeli casualties had this drone fired on whatever target the Iranians may have selected in Israel. Even if it was just a “spy” drone, there’s no excuse for entering Israeli airspace.

Not only did the IDF destroy the caravan that carried this drone to its propulsion point, it also took out nearly half of Syria’s air defense installations including Iranian military sites. Some of these targets were destroyed in the first wave of Israeli F-16 air attacks; others in a second wave after a surface to air missile brought down one of the fighter jets, which crashed in northern Israel. Fortunately both the pilot and navigator survived, albeit the pilot sustained serious injuries. This was the first fighter jet lost in battle by the Israelis since 1982 … the Lebanon War.

Said Ammon Ein Dar, head of the Israeli Training and Doctrine Division, “We carried out a wide-scale attack on the aerial defense system: radars, missiles, batteries, and posts.”

Here is the count of Israel’s swift and stunning damages to Iranian and Syrian fortifications, a total of twelve separate sites: Syria’s largest airbase, with 54 runways and a control tower destroyed; 3 weapons depots; 6 Syrian military installations; 2 Iranian military bases.

In an article posted on February 11, 2018 in the online news source Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), Yaakov Lappin writes: “The escalation is the latest in an epic struggle building between Iran, which is trying to turn Syria into a forward Iranian military base, and Israel, which is determined to prevent this from happening at all costs. Iran is now trying to set a new ‘rules of the game’ and limit Israeli defensive operations in Syria.”

Lappin concludes his article by saying, “The Israeli strikes hinted at an ability to do far more significant damage should Iran decide to escalate further. Iran has no assurance that its own territory would remain immune to Israeli firepower in the event of a future conflict. The stakes of this struggle remain very high. Iran will have to decide if it will again try to challenge Israel’s freedom to operate over Syrian airspace. The situation remains explosive. Israel does not seek war, but the signals coming out of Jerusalem indicated that it has no intention of backing down from its red lines.”

Meanwhile, the Syrian civil war is anything but over. In fact, fighting has intensified once again, including the recent killing of over 200 civilians by Bashar Assad’s Syrian government forces aided by Hezbollah troops, Russian airstrikes, and Iranian missiles. The humanitarian crises is getting even worse. In all, nearly 500,000 have lost their lives in this woeful war of attrition.

(Homs, Syria … Shows Massive Damage to Just One of Many Cities in Syria. See Eye of Prophecy Article, There’s No Place Like Homs; Posted 3-12-16)

Will Things Continue as Usual?

The Apostle Peter told believers that there would be many in the last days who would scoff at the very truth of Scripture, and would mock the idea that Christ would return anytime soon, if at all.

“This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome (healthy, sensible, practical) thinking and refresh your memory. I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles.

“Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, ‘What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created’” (II Peter 3:1-4, parenthesis mine).

Keep in mind that 1st century Christians (first and foremost the apostles) eagerly expected that Messiah’s return would happen in their lifetime. With, however, the Holy Spirit inspiring Peter to also remind believers of God’s perspective of time: “A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day” (I Peter 3:8).

Jesus arose from the grave in the very early morning hours on the 3rd day. It’s been two thousand years since his resurrection. Might the 3rd millennium A.D. that began just 18 years ago be the early morning hours of the 3rd day that will see his return?!

Day or hour is literal (no one knows the specific day or hour) and also expressive or indicative of years; but not an indefinite period of time. In fact, Jesus narrows this down to a generational time-span in his lengthy and fascinating end-times discourse (Matthew Chapters 24 & 25). That’s why he said, keep watch. Watch for what?

Answer: The signs of the “birth pains” (Matthew 24:8). Which prefaces Peter’s advice to know and understand the end-time signs predicted by the Old Testament prophets (remember what the holy prophets said long ago).

Continuing with the Apostle Peter: “They deliberately forgot that God made the heavens by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. And by the same word, the present heavens and the earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed” (II Peter 3:5-7).

No different, said Peter, than the generation of the Great Flood. Like so many today, they were oblivious to or in denial disregard of the ark built right in front of them. They ignored Noah’s preaching for 120 years regarding the (obviously implied by Scripture) reason the ark was being built, including what they must do to survive God’s judgment of a world filled with evil and violence. In contemporary times, we have far more markers than just one ark. Indicators that are (should be) as obvious as an ark being built with no body of water nearby.

Jesus used the same analogy: “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes” (Matthew 24:37-39).

Thus, Peter said: “I want you to remember … I want to remind you.” Not the least of which was Jesus’s profound time-dedicated prediction: “…this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place” (Matthew 24:34).

Despite the extraordinary events of the 20th & 21st centuries and the ominous developments in the Middle East, most unbelievers and those Christian in name only continue to do what Jesus and the Apostle Peter said they would do in the last days. Sadly, in fact, many evangelical Christians have sometimes said pretty much the same thing, but not with a “mocking” mentality. Nonetheless, they are skeptical that the return of Messiah Jesus is very near, citing the constant chain of events in the Middle East and around Israel as an ongoing conflict with no end in sight. With a vague view that it could be decades or hundreds of years longer. That and they’ve forgotten the “generational” time frame that Jesus himself said would constitute the beginning (birth pangs) of the end.

As mentioned in several Eye of Prophecy articles, there are two time-parameters of a generation in Scripture: One hundred years and seventy years. One of the most prevalent prophecies of the Old Testament is the return of the Jews to Israel (including Israel’s rebirth as a nation), many of which were linked to Messiah’s coming to earth (his return) to rescue Israel from the godless Gentile nations. Two of these staggering predictions were the Gog/Magog invasion (Ezekiel 38 & 39) and the final assault led by the Antichrist such as found in Daniel 7, 9, and 11.

So, will things continue as usual? Answer: Yes and No.

Yes. The preponderance of people on this globe continue with (reckless) abandon their pursuit of the partying mentality at all cost, disregarding the “Arks” going up in plain sight around them. Signs that will affect their eternal destiny. For them, it is business as usual.

(Lasting Two Weeks, It’s The Longest Annual Celebration in the US. The Last Day of Mardi Gras Was This Past Tuesday, 2-13-18, Known as “Fat Tuesday” From the French: Mardi … Tuesday and Gras … fat).

Jesus isn’t saying there’s anything wrong with (in moderation) banquets and celebrations and business as usual. Messiah’s first miracle (along with dozens of other subsequent miracles) proving that he was the Son of God and God the Son took place at a wedding in Cana … turning water into wine.

What is wrong and eternally risky is to ignore obvious signs that the return of Messiah Jesus is drawing so very near.

Thus, the answer to the question is also, No. These amazing 20th & 21st century prophetic arks (end-time indicators) are anything but ordinary. When compared to the 18 centuries before (the 1st century A.D. was exceptionally uncommon) they are as unusual as it gets.

Things Are Different Now!

Considering Bible prophecy and its dramatic fulfillment, I don’t get how anyone could trivialize let alone ignore the notable end-times implications of events in the last 100 years. Our grandparents, parents, we and our children have seen or read about 20th & 21st century occurrences unprecedented in the annals of the human race.

Beginning with the First World War ever. One that, before it was even over, saw the mighty British Empire endorse Lord Balfour’s declaration that the Jews had a right to return to Israel, because it was their land to begin with. Then another World War, vastly more destructive than the first. Which, if it hadn’t (through God’s sovereignty) ended when it did, would have resulted in the success of Hitler’s diabolically malicious plan to exterminate the Jews. Then the rise of the United States to superpower status. A nation originally founded on Biblical Judaic/Christian principles, predicated on and patterned after the nation of Israel—God’s chosen and special possession. Then only three years after World War II, the miraculous rebirth of Israel as a sovereign nation, just like the Bible predicted long ago. Followed by a remarkable return to Israel of Jews from all over the earth.

Also the establishment of a United Nations; a European Union; a Russian-led hub of socialist countries; an Arab League of over 50 Muslim nations; the awakening of a sleeping giant (China—kings of the East); and two rogue-nation governments (Iran and North Korea) that threaten world security like no others. All of which have been inordinately focused for decades on the tiny nation of Israel … mostly in a negative way. With this spotlight increasing exponentially to the point where you can hardly pick up a newspaper or click online without more news of what’s happening in the Middle East, particularly in, around, and to Israel.

ALL of these extraordinary new developments intricately tie in with old Bible prophecies. The old has become new again. It is more relevant now than ever before. It is an unusual interruption of business as usual. To include the amazing advancement of transportation, communication, and knowledge that has reduced the Global community to the size of the town where you live.

(See Eye of Prophecy article,The Seal of Approval, Posted 11-15-14)

Things are certainly not the same as they were before the 20th century, especially after Israel’s rebirth as a sovereign nation that set the last day’s wheels in motion. These dramatic developments are not only a fulfillment of Bible prophecy, they are also sovereignly (God’s plan) suggestive of Israel’s original birth as a nation, then their fall from God’s favor and protection when they abandoned the Lord. And now the beginning of Israel’s final restoration and redemption.

To become a nation the Jews had to fight against countries that were Israel’s immediate neighbors—in Joshua’s time, during the time of the judges, and finally when the twelve tribes were united under King David with Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel. Nations like Egypt, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Philistia, and others that Israel defeated in war. And peace treaties reached with a few nations either after Israel defeated them or instead of war.

However, when the Lord disciplined Israel beginning some two hundred years after the split of the twelve tribes when King Solomon died, he used powerful Gentile nations far away from Israel. Nations whose people had strange (wicked) practices and spoke strange languages as indicated in the Old Testament. Countries whose people were not descended from Lot or Ishmael or Esau nor who were Arabs. Nations like Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and finally Rome.

Remarkably, this paradigm resurfaced after Israel was reborn as a nation in 1948. The day after statehood was declared, Israel was attacked by modern-day versions (representations) of those enemy nations adjacent to Israel before the Jews were conquered by far away nations beginning in 722 B.C. (Assyria), then Babylon in 586 B.C., then under rule of Persia, Greece, and Rome for hundreds of years.

These nearby 20th & 21st century nations are Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and (to a lesser extent) Iraq. Against all odds, Israel defeated her Arab neighbors in the 1948 War of Independence. Likewise in the Suez War of 1956, the Six-Day War of 1967, and finally the Yom Kippur War of 1973.

The Arabs of these nations, including Palestinians living in Israel, realize they cannot defeat the Jews in a conventional war. Thus, they have resorted to terrorism, BDS, writing their own (false) history of the Middle East, and persuading the UN to pass (false, unjustified) resolutions against Israel.

(Height of Ignorance, Not Only Flying in the Face of God, But Boycott of Israeli Businesses Hurt Many Palestinians Employed By These Businesses)

(Good For You, New York!)

But now Israel has a peace treaty with Egypt and Jordan, and an implied understanding with Lebanon (it is the terrorist group Hezbollah who threatens Israel, not necessarily Lebanon itself). Iraq is no longer a viable threat because of its civil war, nor is Syria for the same reason.

In terms of national military threats, who are Israel’s main enemies now?

General Answer: Nations much further away from Israel, just like when the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Romans conquered Israel and dispersed the Jews. With Persia and Greece exercising control over the exiled Jews.

In the end times, things would be reversed between Israel and her enemies. God would use Israel (directly and indirectly) as a source of punishment for nations that would seek to once again destroy Israel. Rather than the Lord using those nations to punish Israel.

Which leads us to the more specific answer of who are Israel’s main enemies today?

Specific Answer: Russia, Iran, and Turkey, three non-Arab countries who will constitute, by far, the largest and most powerful components of the Gog/Magog coalition. Do you see this precedent and pattern?

In years past Russia, Iran, and Turkey have desired a dominant foothold in the Middle East nations surrounding Israel. And now all three have their wish. When the appointed time arrived, God would accommodate the warped wish of these nations, even to the extent of enticing them to march against Israel.

Said God to Ezekiel: “Son of man, turn and face Gog of the land of Magog … prophesy against him. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord … I will turn you around and put hooks in your jaws to lead you out with your whole army…” (Ezekiel 38:2-4).

He also told Ezekiel that this would happen “in the distant future” (verse 8).

Does over 2,500 years qualify as the distant future? I certainly believe it does! That’s exactly what is transpiring before our 21st century eyes. Moreover, the global balloon full of war and rumors of war and threats and counter threats is far too full, not to burst in the near future. The chain of current events has been stretched so tight and so fast that there’s no way it can keep from snapping.

Revisiting Gog/Magog

In just the past two years or so there have been dramatic developments in the Middle East involving the three major nations that will comprise the Gog/Magog confederacy, Russia, Iran, and Turkey. As we’ve seen, the most recent is Iran’s first direct intrusion into Israel via the drone—a test of Israel’s resolve and a measure of Israel’s response. Also a demonstration that the Iranians not only intend to remain in Syria, but will continue to enlarge their surrogate sway over Lebanon (Hezbollah) and perhaps even a greater influence over Bashar Assad’s Syrian government than their partner in crime, Russia.

With a practical and predictable rule-of-engagement result: Israel dealt both Iran and Syria a devastating blow, inflicting massive damage to twelve military and weapons sites in Syria. Which has undoubtedly led to Iran’s realization (now or soon) that it cannot accomplish its treacherous boast of eliminating Israel from the face of the earth without Russia and (more reluctantly) without Turkey. That mindset is precisely what will lead to the formation of the Gog/Magog invasion of Israel in the near future—but after the Rapture.

In the past few weeks, Russia, Iran, and Turkey have bolstered their tenuous political, military, and diplomatic ties as a (terrible) trio, each nation with the other. Not all that long ago they were at each other’s throats. What originally brought them together?

Two-part answer: (1) ISIS … a common enemy. However, Turkey is known to have actually assisted ISIS, mainly because Turkey hates the Kurds based in Iraq, Syria, and Turkey much more than it fears ISIS. The Kurds have inflicted more damage on ISIS than all other freedom fighting groups in Syria battling both ISIS and Bashar Assad’s government troops.

(2) Syria’s Civil War. Russia and Iran have supported Assad’s troops, mostly with air support and missiles, respectively. Also, both nations have advisors and Special-Ops in Syria. Here again, President Erdogan of Turkey doesn’t like nor directly supports Bashar Assad; nevertheless, Erdogan is more than willing to overlook this animosity if Turkish relations with Iran and Russia are enhanced.

One huge advantage of Turkey cozying up to Russia and Iran: both of those countries extending carte blanch authority to and approval of Turkey’s latest incursion into Syria in the past two weeks to do battle with the Kurds. As a reminder or if you didn’t know, the United States supports the Kurds both militarily (air strikes and military advisors) and, to a lesser extent, politically.

It just may be the strangest, most complicated war (several wars into one) of all time. Even a simplified version of it is mind-boggling: A is fighting B who is fighting C who is fighting A … often wondering who they will be fighting today. All of them fighting D (ISIS). With the United States (and its allies) and Russia actually coordinating their bombing raids with each other!

With, however, fulfillment of Biblical prophecy an absolutely direct result. Which as alluded earlier: Russia, Iran, and Turkey cooperating not long after each was a staunch opponent of the other two.

Concerning Israel: Iran’s hatred of and overt animosity toward Israel is the most obvious. By establishing military bases in Syria and now attempting to build missile factories in Lebanon—through their puppet regime of Hezbollah—Iran is nearing the threshold of Israel’s northern border.

(“Come, they say, let’s wipe out Israel as a nation…” Psalm 83:4. The Modern Day Threat to Eliminate Israel Is Yet Another Fulfilled Biblical Prophecy)

Russia’s design for Israel is more subtle as currently demonstrated by its friendly approach toward Israel; nonetheless a shrewd scheme to take over the newly developed Israeli oil and gas fields in the Mediterranean Sea. (See Eye of Prophecy: Gog, Magog, and Leviathan posted 1-3-15).

Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin is clever. He understands this strategy of diplomacy will take him much further and more quickly than outright hostility toward Israel. Plus, he knows that the United States would instantly come to Israel’s aid should he (with or without Iran and Turkey) decide to do something about Israel now. Which is one reason the Gog/Magog attack won’t begin until after the Rapture—when millions taken from the United States will cripple America’s superpower status. That and the fact that Antichrist’s treaty with Israel will give the Jews a false sense of security; enticing Russia, Iran, and Turkey to take advantage of this peace treaty while Antichrist (Nero) is still forming and consolidating (forcing three nations … see Daniel 7:8) his powerful ten-nation coalition during the first half of the Tribulation.

Turkey is somewhere between Russia’s olive branch approach to Israel and Iran’s malicious motive to eliminate Israel altogether. Turkey’s President Erdogan loathes Israel; however, he, too, realizes the folly of taking on Israel alone. On the other hand, Turkey will jump at the opportunity to invade Israel, should Russia and Iran invite Turkey to join them.

At Putin’s incentive, three times in the recent past these three nations have convened to discuss and devise a partition type map of Syria, with the assumption that Assad will win the war against Syrian freedom fighters. Although a measure of agreement was reached to establish four demilitarized zones (no military operations), by and large these meetings have failed in their objectives. The latest was held in Sochi, Russia called, “A Congress of the Syrian People.” It failed miserably. Pending is another tripartite meeting called by Putin, with a date not yet specified. Ironically, it’s the failure of these resolution meetings that will keep Russia, Iran, and Turkey that much more entrenched in Syria.

The signs of the times are mounting with incredible frequency and intensity. Here again is a list of twelve major indicators of the Omega Generation (the last generation that will lead directly to the Rapture, Tribulation, and Millennial Reign of Messiah Jesus) originally summarized in Part II of Eye of Prophecy articles, Look Up, Redemption is Near (posted July 2015):

Rebirth of Israel as a Sovereign Nation, 1948

Recapture of Jerusalem in the June, 1967 Six-Day War

Jerusalem, a Heavy Burden to the Nations

The 3rd Rebuilt Temple

Israel’s Phenomenal Agricultural Accomplishments

Modern-Day Alignment of Gog/Magog Nations against Israel

National and Ethnic Wars in the 20th & 21st Centuries

Amazing Increase ofNatural Disasters

Moral & Spiritual Decline & Intense Persecution of Christians

False Messiahs & Prophets

Unequaled Increase in Quantity and Speed of Transportation and Information

Unprecedented Spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the World

Looking Back to 2016

The following excerpts are from one of several Eye of Prophecy articles about Gog/Magog, entitled: The Gog/Magog Countdown Has Begun! Posted 9-10-16. Since then, the terrible trio of Russia, Iran, and Turkey have tightened their ties and proliferated their presence in Syria that much more.

Russia and Iran

*Note: The first paragraph is an excerpt within the excerpts … from an earlier article, entitled. Beginning of the End, posted 3-5-16. As you read these excerpts (in italics) remember that they date back to 2016.

The two most powerful nations referenced in Ezekiel’s predictions are Russia, by clear inference, and Iran, by actual name. Once enemies by virtue of the Iranian’s (Persians) national adherence to Islam, directly opposed to Russia’s atheistic communism, Iran is now an ally of Russia. They have set aside their differences for the common cause of establishing a footing in the region, under the pretense of supporting Bashar Assad and his Syrian government. Russia’s main agenda is to take over the gas fields off the coast of Israel and newly discovered oil reserves in Israel. Iran’s objective is much less subtle. Their hatred of Jews and Israel has been repeatedly voiced by their leaders with genocidal threats to: Wipe Israel from the face of the earth.

To demonstrate how much stronger this unlikely alliance between Russia and Iran is getting: Less than a month ago, for the first time ever, Iran permitted a foreign nation’s (Russia, of course) fighter bombers and jets to take off from Iran’s Hamedan Air Base. If you’ve kept up with just a little of what’s happening in the Middle East, you’ll know that this military liaison between Russia and Iran pretentiously serves the purpose of striking ISIS targets in Syria. Because both Iran and Russia support the Syrian Government still led by Bashar Assad, they also bomb and strafe Syrian rebel militia fighting against Assad. These freedom fighters are supported by the United States and some Western nations. Although Iran subsequently restricted Russia’s use of the air field to refueling only, the sure fulfillment of the Gog/Magog prophecy will eventually lead to unhindered cooperation between these two nations. Their anti-God (of the Bible) and anti-Israel agenda will override any differences.

Turkey and Iran

In that same article, Beginning of the End, I also wrote about an improbable joint military exercise (war games) between primarily Saudi Arabia and Turkey that took place this past February, called Northern Thunder. It was meant to be a show of force directly against Syrian President Assad and indirectly against Iran, which supports and subsidizes Assad in Syria and Iran’s puppet regime Hezbollah in Lebanon.

…Just like Erdogan of Turkey and Putin of Russia have cozied themselves and their countries together; in just the past three weeks, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif (the same Iranian official who met with the P5 + 1 nations to seal the Iranian nuclear deal last year) met with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu. In a joint press conference, Zarif announced that Iran has every intention of resolving all remaining disputes with Turkey.

Emboldened by its sudden reconciliation with Russia and Iran, Turkey just a few days ago sent tanks and soldiers into Syria, to ostensibly strike at ISIS targets. However, as any of us who monitors the pulse of the Middle East knows: Turkey’s main interest was to attack the Kurds who seek their own independent state.

Turkey’s incursion into Syria and the Turks newfound affinity for the Russians pleases Iran to no end. In his Gatestone Institute article published August 26th, Burak Bekdil quotes Meira Svirsky at the Clarion Project: “Not only will Turkey have to digest that (Russian-Iranian-Syrian) line, it will have to join it, entering into a pact with Putin and the ayatollahs. Clearly this is where Erdogan has decided is the best place to pledge his allegiance.”

*Note: A current reminder that in just the past couple of weeks Turkey reentered Syria to intensify its war on the Kurds.

Russia and Turkey

Next, is the unimaginable reconciliation between Turkey and Russia? It was only last November that Turkey shot down a Russian warplane that allegedly strayed into Turkish airspace. The infuriated Russian President Vladimir Putin immediately leveled economic sanctions against Turkey, which cost the Turkish economy billions of dollars. The sabre rattling of the two nations against each other was heard around the world, to include absurd boasts by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Russia was no match for Turkish military power!

In the article, Beginning of the End (March, 2016) I made this observation:

Although diplomatic relations between Turkey (the third most prominent nation in this Gog/Magog confederation) and Russia are currently strained, that will change dramatically…. In the classic mode of “if your enemy is also my enemy,” Turkey will go all in with Russia and Iran if it means conquering Israel.

Since that article was posted, the strained relations between Russia and Turkey have, indeed, changed dramatically. This past July, (once again, this would have been the year 2016) Erdogan apologized for shooting down the Russian warplane; in August he flew to Russia, and shook hands with Putin as a prelude to normalizing diplomatic relations between the two (former) rivals. Subsequently, they have set aside their differences to the point where the Russians not only didn’t oppose Turkey’s entrance into the Syrian civil war just a couple of weeks ago; they welcomed Turkey’s sudden and direct participation.

Things to Ponder

Essentially, we can dismiss the pretentious reasons that all three nations are establishing a foothold in Syria! Ultimately, it is not because Russia and Iran want to keep Assad in power or that Turkey wants to keep the Kurds from declaring an independent state in Syria and Iraq, next to the Turkish border.

Their ultimate goal: Israel. They all have Israel in their sights.

Which is the biggest (final) mistake they and the other nations joining Gog and Magog will ever make. For to do so is to make an enemy of the God of Israel.

“Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: Gog, I am your enemy!” (Ezekiel 38:3).

“It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

The Lord told Israel: The result of their refusal to enter the Promised Land because they didn’t trust the Lord to give them victory over the Canaanites, would be painful. Read with me what God said:

“Because your men explored the land for forty days, you must wander in the wilderness for forty years—a year for each day, suffering the consequences of your sins. Then you will discover what it is like to have me for an enemy” (Numbers 14:34)

If the Lord (temporarily) made his own people an enemy, how severely will he deal with those nations who deny and defy him and who seek Israel’s destruction?

“O Lord, pay back our neighbors seven times for the scorn they have hurled at you. Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will thank you forever and ever, praising your greatness from generation to generation” (Psalm 79:12-13).

Scripture’s repeated predictions that Israel would be reestablished as a sovereign nation—with Jerusalem as its capital and return of exiled Jews to Israel—has taken place in our generation. And they have returned to stay, as exemplified in the following passage:

Nearly all of the Old Testament prophetic books (Isaiah through Malachi) contain warnings of Israel’s punishment and also God’s wrath against godless Gentile nations, especially those that participated in or condoned Israel’s destruction. Correlating secular history (dates) with Biblical history, one phenomenon you’ll find is that, for the most part, once a prophet first forecasted what would happen to Israel if they didn’t return to the Lord their God, the event normally occurred within 100 years. As the time of punishment (whether Assyria’s or Babylon’s conquest of Israel and Judah, respectively … or other events) drew closer, God’s warnings through his prophets increased in frequency and descriptive severity. In principle and pattern, that’s exactly what’s happening in and around Israel in our generation.

The Balfour Declaration of 1917, followed by Israel’s rebirth in 1947-48, then Israel’s liberation of Jerusalem in 1967 (when Gentile domination of Israel ended) have all occurred within a 100, 70, and 50-year generational time span.

The big difference, of course, is that the current events will lead to a totally different result. In our time, “…the Lord will make you (Israel) the head and not the tail, and you will always (from now on) be on top and never at the bottom” (Deuteronomy 28:13, parenthesis mine).

Although there are other indicators of the last days, the frenzied pace of the Gog/Magog formation in which the three most prominent nations of that confederacy have a foothold right next to Israel, can only mean that it’s a matter of just a short time before Russia, Iran, and Turkey cooperatively conspire to invade Israel. Which, in turn, means that the Rapture is at hand like never before!

The brutal beat of Islamic and Palestinian terrorism; the shameful sound of geopolitical horns blatantly blasting President Trump’s decision for the United States to officially acknowledge Jerusalem as Israel’s eternal capital; the demonstrative drums of war banging threatening messages of Israel’s demise by her sworn enemies; and the raging roar of Muslim rhetoric with convoluted claims that the Jews don’t belong in the sovereign nation of Israel.

Among other derogatory denunciations against President Trump and Israel, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas recently placed a curse on Donald Trump: “May your house be demolished”… presumably referring to the White House. In this same rambling two-hour speech to the PLO, he repeated that the Palestinians will no longer participate in peace negotiations with Israel if the US is involved.

Abbas then refused to meet with US Vice President Mike Pence during Pence’s recent trip to Egypt, Jordan, and Israel. Instead, Abbas flew to Brussels; attempting again to persuade the European Union to unilaterally and arbitrarily declare a Palestinian State in Israel with all of the rewritten history conditions and unrealistic pre-condition demands that the Palestinians have made for years.

The top three of those demands are:

(1) A Palestinian State with pre-1967 (Six-Day War) borders that really weren’t borders in the first place. Rather, they were armistice lines established on a temporary basis—until Israel and the Palestinians could agree on more permanent boundaries including those for Judea/Samaria (so-called West Bank).

In the Six-Day War, Israel reclaimed and liberated ALL of today’s Israel, especially the entire city of Jerusalem. If Israel were to agree to such lines, she would be virtually defenseless in the Jordan Valley, the Golan Heights, and most of Judea/Samaria. If a Palestinian State is created with sovereign borders, Mahmoud Abbas has already boasted that no Jews will be allowed to live in that state. Whereas, many Israeli-Arabs would continue to live in Israel, undoubtedly with visitation rights of Palestinian relatives to/from Israel.

See Eye of Prophecy article: Ethnic Cleansing of Jews … The Real Palestinian Agenda, published 9-17-16.

Consequently, any Israeli excursion into those territories (for example to hunt down a terrorist who had just murdered a Jew) would be considered an act of war. You can bet your life-savings that, under those conditions, the Palestinians would never agree to prosecute and certainly not extradite the offender to Israel. But the biggest concern for Israel would be rogue nations like Iran gaining a foothold in a Palestinian State as a safe sanctuary to wreak havoc on Israel.

(2) East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian State. This is unthinkable and unfeasible. It would be similar to the former West and East Berlin dichotomy which was a disaster, one that came perilously close to war between the United States and the former Soviet Union.

There is only one city in the entire world that is claimed by two countries as their capital. The Republic of Cyprus (southern half) and North Cyprus share Nicosia as their capital; however, Northern Cyprus is not officially recognized internationally as a nation. If ever it did become a member of the United Nations, it’s highly unlikely that (the northern half) of Nicosia would be accepted as its capital.

(3) Right of return for all Palestinian refugees. With an impractical and unreasonable definition of refugees as all generational descendants of the original Palestinian refugees, who willingly left Israel during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence. And did so at the request (actually orders) of Arab military leaders representing the five Muslim nations that attacked Israel the day after she became a sovereign state on May 14, 1948. Many of these displaced refugees were well-to-do Arabs who didn’t want to get in the way of their own armies, and who could afford the exit from Israel. As opposed to the typical and more accurately defined refugees who flee their country because they are being persecuted, attacked, and killed by hostile forces. Such as hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians disenfranchised by the ongoing six-year civil war in Syria.

Some Equivalent Examples

Let’s stretch our imagination to the theatre of the absurd with comparisons to the United States regarding these three untenable demands that Arabs have persisted in for 70 years … 50 years since they began to call themselves Palestinians. With the overview that these ultimatums are those of a people who participated directly in or were collaborators with surrounding Arab counties defeated by Israel in four wars (1948, 1956, 1967 & 1973) … wars that the Arabs started. Despite victory in these wars, the Israelis gave back Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt and what the Arabs call the West Bank to Jordan. Egypt and Jordan then surrendered functional control to the Palestinians.

In a broader scope, Israel relinquished political and administrative regulation over these areas to appease international pressure (including that from the United States) to allocate the West Bank and Gaza as “Palestinian territories.” Which included giving up some rights and privileges that have belonged to the Jews from the historical founding of Israel, then the historic rebirth of that same Jewish nation in 1948, with Jerusalem as the capital. But not just because the United Nations passed a resolution in 1947 granting the Jews retroactive possession of the land of Israel.

Most of all because God gave this land to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob hundreds of years before King David made Jerusalem its capital. Arabs claim Jerusalem (actually all of Israel) as their own largely based on their Muslim religion citing the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount as their 3rd holiest site in Islam. When, in fact, Jerusalem is not mentioned even one time in the Koran; whereas Jerusalem or Zion is named over 800 times in the Bible and always has been the holiest site of Judaism. Wouldn’t the holiest site of Judaism supersede the 3rd holiest site of Islam, especially if that 3rd holiest site is not even mentioned in the Koran?! (See Eye of Prophecy article, The Myth of Al Aqsa Mosque, posted 4-16-16).

What we see today are Palestinians (Arabs) still alive who fought with or supported or cheered Egypt, Syria, and Jordan in these wars (and their children and grandchildren who don’t know any better or who know and don’t care) who were defeated in battle; yet, who make demands as though they were the victors in these wars. That and rewriting history itself by making preposterous claims that they were in the land of Israel first, or there the longest, or that they bear sovereign status over the Jews because for a while Arabs ruled over Israel (when it was called Palestine). When, in fact, both before and after the Arabs (beginning with Mohammed) took possession of most of Israel, it was the Romans, then the Crusaders, then the Arabs (again), then the Ottoman Turks, and finally the British who seized and maintained control of the Promised Land for varying intervals of time.

(The Ottoman Turks Surrendered Jerusalem (all of Israel) to British General Edmund Allenby in 1917)

(1)Pre 1967 Six-Day War Lines: With the equivalent of recognizing and siding with Palestinian demands that Israel returns (retreats) to pre-1967 so-called boundaries (cease-fire lines), an appropriate analogy would be for the United States to give back some of the original thirteen colonies to England. Not that the United Nations or European Union or the United Kingdom would make such ridiculous demands of the United States; however, that is equivocally what UN resolutions and many nations of the European Union and ALL Muslim countries have demanded of Israel. Refer to Eye of Prophecy article, United NationsDownsizing of Israel (Resolution 2334). Posted 1-7-17.

Another parallel is that of France insisting the United States return all or part of the states that comprised the Louisiana Purchase, because the purchase price was too low or because many Frenchmen and women in the United States (whether citizens or not) were “unjustly” affected by such a transaction. Or Alaska reverting back to Russia. Or Mexico wanting New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and California returned to them. Or any nation refusing to recognize the sovereign geographical borders of the United States. But that’s what’s happening in and to Israel: International pressure for the Jews to give back to the Palestinians what Jordan, Egypt, and the Palestinians never legally had in the first place—which makes it even more absurd than the above cited examples.

(2) Demands for East Jerusalem as the Capital of a Palestinian State: No different than the United States conceding the eastern part of Washington D.C. back to the British, with what would be tantamount to an apology for defeating the British in war. And not one war, but two (War of 1812). For the record, I am an admirer of the British. But concerning nationality and national rights, especially those afforded by victory in war that always comes with the highest price that can be paid—the blood of American soldiers and civilians—I am first and foremost an American.

Obviously, such a ludicrous demand (East Washington belongs to the British) is not going to happen.

Why then do so many nations of the world side with Muslim Arabs that the eastern half of Jerusalem (there is still no such thing as East Jerusalem; for example, Nir Barkat is Mayor of all of Jerusalem) should be abandoned by the Israelis to the Palestinians who want it to be the capital of a Palestinian State? When any other city in the West Bank could be made its capital, particularly Ramallah which currently houses the Palestinian Authority governmental agencies. The ONLY reason that the Arabs want part of Jerusalem as their capital is because the Jews claim all of Jerusalem as the God-given historical and eternal capital of Israel.

(3) Right of Return of the Original Palestinian “Refugees” to Israel, Including all Descendants: The Palestinians have arbitrarily twisted the definition of a refugee to include (an infinitum) all descendants of these refugees. Even most of the 1st generation Arabs who fled Israel should not be considered refugees because they left on their own volition; the Jews asked them to stay and be partners in the United Nations approved State of Israel in 1948.

A similar comparison would be the United States allowing the descendants of English, French, Spanish, and Hispanics who left the United States as a result of armed conflict—Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Spanish/American War, Mexican War—to return, no questions asked. Or descendants of those returning to their country (also voluntarily) because certain territories were purchased by the United States.

Yet that is exactly what the Arabs have demanded since 1948. If the Israelis did allow such a return, it would, for all practical purposes, spell the end of Israel. The sheer number of such returnees would reduce the Jews to a minority in their own country. There is no other nation on earth that would do such a thing. In fact, the Arab nations that permit (actually they purposely keep) these “refugee camps” to remain have done so because they have disallowed their fellow Arabs (Palestinians, who didn’t even assume that name until after the PLO came into existence in 1964) to become citizens of those countries. Rather, they are using the Palestinians (refugees) as a bargaining chip to eliminate the state of Israel, just in case many or all of them are allowed to return to Israel.

(One of the Palestinian Refugee Camps in Jordan)

The Head and Not the Tail

Since the astounding victory against Egypt, Syria, and Jordan in the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel for the first time in over 2,500 years is the primary power in the Middle East. Israel can now negotiate (if she chooses) from a position of strength and not weakness. She is once again the head and not the tail.

“…the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom” (Deuteronomy 28:13).

In the four major Arab/Israeli wars, two of Israel’s enemies (Egypt and Jordan) plus Saudi Arabia are beginning to realize that Israel has no intention, whatsoever, to dominate her Arab neighbors. Though not admitting it, they know beyond all doubt that there is no such thing as Israeli apartheid against the Palestinians of Judea/Samaria or the Gaza. They are finally grasping the obvious: Even though Israel regained its rightful God-given supremacy over the Promised Land, she has nonetheless permitted some 4.5 million Palestinians (non-citizens of Israel) to occupy choice parts of Israel … Judea/Samaria and the Gaza.

Israel’s rise to a prominent economic, political, and military player on the world stage means that she no longer must make concessions to international demands that are unfounded, unfair, and unnecessary. And which are downright dangerous to Israeli safety and survival. Not the least of which is Israel’s right to establish her capital in the city of choice—Jerusalem. A privilege that has always existed; one that the United States Congress recognized in 1995 (Jerusalem Embassy Act) followed on December 6, 2017 by the first United States President to reaffirm this right.

Nor is Israel (or any nation) obligated to accept the return of refugees (especially 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation) whether they fit the international definition and standards of refugees or not. Like any sovereign nation on earth, Israel has the prerogative to determine immigration quotas and citizenship requirements.

The modern-day phenomenon of refugees began during World War I but especially during World War II when millions of people from several counties were displaced by the carnage of that global conflict. The whole idea of refugee status is a humanitarian effort to help those suffering from deprivation, displacement, and despair caused by war and sectarian conflict. Nevertheless, refugee sanctuary is designed to be temporary, to get dispossessed people back on their feet. It is not meant to be an indefinite welfare system or perpetual source of aid that deters people from doing as much as they can for themselves.

Moreover, refugees of World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, of the Syrian & Iraqi civil wars (and other sectarian conflicts all over the world) were citizens of their respective countries. Not so with the Palestinians, who voluntarily left Israel in 1948 and some in 1967 to give their Arab military time and space to conquer Israel and eliminate the Jews from the State of Israel. Those Arabs (now called Palestinians) were not citizens of Palestine (there was and is no such state). If they had citizenship, it was from mostly Jordan … also Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Egypt.

If the United Nations seriously wants to repatriate millions of Palestinian Arab “refugees” (most of whom—descendants—have never lived in Israel), then they should be returned to the host country in which their parents and grandparents were citizens. Which very well could be the country in which they currently reside as “refugees.”

UNRWA (United Nations Relief & Works Agency)

In Mahmoud Abbas’s previously mentioned speech, he also railed against President Trump’s decision to cut in half the first of three-four Palestinian aid (through UNRWA) installments scheduled for 2018. No matter that Abbas had previously refused to discontinue or even reduce hundreds of millions of dollars the PA spends on monthly stipends to the families of Palestinians imprisoned because they have murdered or attacked Jews. President Trump followed through by cutting 65 million from the first installment of some 130 million in aid. In all, the United States contributes around 370 million dollars annually to UNRWA, about 30% of UNRWA’s budget.

In addition, the US provides millions of dollars in aid directly to the Palestinian Authority, which President Trump has also threatened to reduce or end if the Palestinians persist in their recent demands that the US cannot be a part of any Middle East peace process.

UNRWA was created in December, 1949 exclusively for Arab refugees—nearly all of whom fled Israel at the request (more like orders) of the Arab armies that attacked Israel on May 15, 1948. At that time there were about 750,000 such refugees. Currently there are an estimated 7 million so-called Palestinian refugees in the Middle East, with approximately 4.5 million residing in the West Bank and Gaza Strip of Israel, and the remaining primarily in Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. Of the 7 million, around 5.3 million are registered with UNRWA to receive economic assistance. About one-third of these Palestinians live in 59 refugee camps (West Bank, Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan) with the remaining two-thirds residing in cities and towns around the camps.

(Many Palestinians Registered with UNRWA Are Also Gainfully Employed!)

There is a second UN refugee agency called: United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) created in December, 1950, a year after UNRWA. This second agency was designed to provide refugee status and aid to millions displaced from their homes during World War II. Although the agency was originally devised to assist European refugees and last just three years, it is still in existence and has expanded to include refugees worldwide.

However, there is a distinction between these two organizations that extends beyond the fact that UNRWA is exclusively for Palestinians.

According to Wikipedia, “The UNRWA has a much broader definition of ‘refugee’ than the UNHCR, including not only refugees, but their descendants in perpetuity, however it (was originally intended to) only covers refugees from the 1948 & 1967 Arab-Israeli wars” (parenthesis mine).

Wikipedia also states: “UNRWA has had to develop a working definition of ‘refugee’ to allow it to provide humanitarian assistance (meaning welfare-like aid). Its definition does not cover final status” (parenthesis mine).

Originally Palestinian refugees were considered: “Persons whose regular place of residence was Palestine during the period 1 June 1946 to 15 May 1948, and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict.”

One problem with that definition is the way it’s phrased. As stated earlier: the reason the Arabs lost home and livelihood was one of choice. They could have accepted Israel’s offer to remain, but they chose to flee (temporarily) awaiting what they assumed would be a five-nation Arab victory over and obliteration of Israel.

When some of them wanted to return, Israel essentially said: Too late, you had your chance to stay. Israel considered them a “fifth column” who would continue to do whatever they could to eliminate Israel from the face of the map.

One other quote from Wikipedia: “Unlike UNRWA, UNHCR has a specific mandate to aid its refugees to eliminate their refugee status by local integration in (the) current country, resettlement in a third country or repatriation when possible.”

*Note: There’s hardly any country on earth whose government will allow repatriation of former citizens who hated and/or fought against that government, whether the government was democratic or autocratic, good or evil. At least not without severe conditions and restrictions imposed on the returnees. The exception would be 2nd or 3rd generation refugees that wanted no part of their parent’s or grandparent’s revolt against or disdain for their government. In that regard, Israel is an exception to the exception. In the case of the Palestinians, their children of today hate Jews (are even taught how to kill Jews) as much or more than their ancestors.

(Alarmingly Sad … I’ve Seen Part of This Video)

A comprehensive study in September, 2016 revealed that UNRWA spent an average of $256.00 for each of the 5.3 million Palestinian it classifies as refugees, while UNHCR spent only $58.00 per non-Palestinian refugee.

Even though UNRWA extended refugee status to Arabs who left Israel in 1948 and 1967 or those who stayed but refused to become citizens of Israel (West Bank and Gaza), there’s no way that the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of those Arabs should be kept on the refugee payroll. It’s glaringly obvious that the “refugee” status of Palestinians has far exceeded the original purpose and mission of UNRWA. It was not meant for descendants of the 1st generation Arabs that packed up and moved out of Israel in 1948-1949 to maintain their refugee status in perpetuity.

Palestinians claiming (a non-existent) East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian State and Israel’s territorial retreat to 1967 cease-fire lines are critical threats to Israel’s serenity, security, and sovereignty. But there is no more contentious issue than the insistence of Palestinians and most Muslin countries (a couple of exceptions like Saudi Arabia and perhaps Egypt) that millions of Palestinians living in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Jordan be allowed to migrate to Israel, a country in which most of these 3rd and 4th generation outsiders have never resided. If that were to occur, hundreds of thousands of Jewish citizens born in or who immigrated to Israel would themselves be displaced from their homes, or would have no land in Judea/Samaria and the eastern part of Jerusalem in which to build more housing.

Israel … Beacon of Democracy in the Middle East

In some prior Eye of Prophecy articles, I have made references to the clear evidence that Israel has treated its Arab Palestinian population far better than Palestinians (or even Arab citizens) are treated in Muslim countries. But it bears repeating.

Because Israel is the only democratic nation in the entire Middle East, 1.8 million Arabs have chosen to become citizens of Israel. They have the right to vote, start and own businesses, attend Israeli schools, enroll in higher educational institutions, apply for government loans, move about the country with ease, and even serve in the Knesset. Yet, they are not conscripted by the IDF, which is mandatory for all Jewish men and women when they turn eighteen years of age. Even the Palestinians (non-citizens) who live in Judea/Samaria and the Gaza have a standard of living that exceeds hundreds of millions of Arab in surrounding Muslim nations, the exception being wealthy Arabs complements of oil.

Moreover, the Israelis do not hate the Palestinians nor is there anything approaching apartheid as some absurdly claim. It is extremely rare for an Israeli Jew to commit an act of violence against a Palestinian. When that occurred, it was normally personal revenge for a Jewish death at the hands of Palestinians. Conversely, Palestinians for years have viciously and repeatedly killed and injured thousands of Jews.

See Eye of Prophecy article, The Real Reason for Palestinian Terrorism (Posted 9-30-17).

God’s Point of View & Instructions Concerning the Promised Land and Its Inhabitants

Question: Does modern-day Israel’s attitude toward and treatment of Palestinians match up with God’s Biblical standards?

Let’s answer that question by examining the way God originally said it should be.

Beginning with the Lord’s instructions to Moses concerning non-Jews:

(Other Bible Translations for Stranger are: Foreigner or Alien)

And, “Do not take advantage of foreigners who live among you in your land. Treat them like native-born Israelites, and love them as you love yourself. Remember that you were once foreigners living in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:33-34).

*Note: By all international rules and standards Israel is a sovereign state with constitutionally mandated requirements for citizenship and definitions of foreigners that most nations on earth have—at least those not ruled by a dictator. No matter your view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the fact remains that non-citizen Palestinians are foreigners in Israel. Many nations of the world would have expelled such foreigners—who refused to become citizens or who didn’t qualify for citizenship within a generation’s time—back to their home country, i.e. the country that issued their passports. For the majority of Palestinians in Israel, that would be Jordan.

It’s historically true that the Lord commanded the Israelites to destroy certain tribes/nations of Canaan … the Promised Land that would become Israel. And for a valid reason, one that God originally explained to Abraham.

“…This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you. And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God” (Genesis 17:7-8).

Before that God told Abraham that the Jews would be captives (in Egypt) for 400 years, but, “…After four generations your descendants will return here to this land, for the sins of the Amorites do not yet warrant their destruction” (Genesis 15:16, italics for emphasis). The Amorites also represented all of the wicked, decadent nations of Canaan.

This demonstrates God’s amazing patience … allowing the inhabitants of Canaan considerable time to repent and stop such ugly, depraved practices as sacrificing their own children.

When it came time for the Israelites to enter Canaan, God through Moses told them: “You must destroy all the nations the Lord your God hands over to you. Show them no mercy, and do not worship their gods, or they will trap you” (Deuteronomy 7:16).

Also: “And I will fix your boundaries from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the eastern wilderness to the Euphrates River. I will hand over to you the people now living in the land … Make no treaties with them or their gods. They must not live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me. If you serve their gods, you will be caught in the trap of idolatry” (Exodus 23:31-32).

See Deuteronomy 18:9-14 for more details of the “detestable customs” of the Canaanite nations.

In contrast to God’s unilateral destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (for example), the Israelites had to do much of their own fighting to establish their nation in the Promised Land. Even then God supernaturally supported them in several battles, the most famous of which was Jericho.

This continued off and on through the period of the Judges; to and through the reign of King David, who consolidated the twelve tribes of Israel into the most powerful nation on earth at the time. The Lord once again did the same thing when Israel was reborn in 1948. The Jews fought four wars initiated by the Arabs, winning each war against all odds—with divine assistance from God himself.

Time/space does not permit elaboration, but the Lord made exceptions for some of the peoples/nations within Israel (formerly Canaan). Those peoples who chose not to fight against Israel were granted foreigner status, even though some were required to effectively serve Israel. But even those of servanthood were to be treated with respect and dignity.

I visited modern-day Israel in 2006. I’ve read volumes about Israel and the Middle East, watched numerous documentaries, studied the Scriptures intensively, and have written extensively about God’s special possession Israel and his chosen people the Jews. The truth of the matter is that overall Israeli disposition toward and treatment of both Israeli-Arabs and Palestinians matches and has prophetically fulfilled God’s timeless instructions and standards given to Moses and Joshua. Can Israel do better? Of course, so can all of us.

What about the Jews Themselves?

Why are they the chosen people? Just how special are they?

Listen to the answer: “But recognize today that the Lord your God is the one who will cross over ahead of you like a devouring fire to destroy them. He will subdue them so that you will quickly conquer them and drive them out, just as the Lord has promised.

“After the Lord your God has done this for you, don’t say in your hearts, ‘The Lord has given us this land because we are such good people!’ No, it is because of the wickedness of the other nations that he is pushing them out of your way. It is not because you are so good or have such integrity that you are about to occupy their land… to fulfill the oath he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Deuteronomy 9:3-5).

God isn’t saying that his people had no integrity or that they didn’t have good hearts when it came to other people. Rather, the Lord is making a distinction as to the REASON that he gave them the Promised Land. A reason to preclude all boasting. A reason to give honor and glory to God, not themselves. It was a lesson in humility, a lesson that Israel eventually was forced to learn the hard way.

God did not choose the Jews because they were special. They became special because he chose them. Moses reminded the people what he had said to God, before Joshua led them across the Jordan River into Canaan: “But they are your people and your special possession, whom you brought out of Egypt by your great strength and powerful arm” (Deuteronomy 9:29, italics for emphasis).

*Note: There are several reasons why Anti-Semitism has been irrationally and insidiously prevalent for so long by so many peoples on this earth. But one thing stands out above all the rest: Envy. Of Jewish accomplishments in all walks of life—business, politics, entertainment, medicine, industry, literature, and music.

Ultimately, however, they are the chosen people because God selected them to be a conduit of light to the nations of the earth. And the beautiful brightness of that light shines through Messiah Jesus and the salvation he has brought to both Jew and Gentile through the New Covenant.

The foreigners in ancient Israel would be equivalent to today’s Palestinians, but not as refugees. More like the 1.8 million Israeli Arab citizens of Israel, who at least recognize Israel’s right to exist as a nation, whether they believe this is a divine right and regardless of what they think about Jews as a people.

Conversely, the some 4.5 million Palestinians in Gaza and Judea/Samaria have refused Israeli citizenship because they effectively do not recognize Israel as a nation. In God’s purpose there was only one nation in/of the Promised Land—Israel. And you can be very sure of this: God’s plan for Jews possessing the Promised Land of Israel has never changed. It is as true and real today as it was when God gave this land to Abraham and his descendants and when Joshua led the Israelites into Canaan.

Things to Ponder

God loves all people, individually, and wants everyone to be saved from their sins and the penalty of sin—eternal separation from God. Yet, we also need to fully grasp his two-part plan for the human race. One for salvation—both Jew and Gentile. The other for the sovereign state of Israel and Jerusalem its capital as the seat of God’s kingdom on earth. Thus, God deals harshly with both individuals and nations who seek Israel’s destruction; and also those who in any way, shape, or form aid in this destruction. All the while extending his love through so great a salvation, to all who believe and receive Messiah Jesus as personal Savior—Palestinians included!

What will happen to the Palestinians during the soon-to-come Great Tribulation? I seldom speculate in Eye of Prophecy articles; in favor of commentary based upon Scripture and then correlating God’s word with ancient and modern history and current events. But I offer this (sad) observation:

It’s highly unlikely that Palestinians (nor most Muslims on both an individual or national level) will embrace the Jewish Messiah or the Jews. Even most Jews do not yet recognize Jesus of Nazareth as their (the) Messiah. But when Jesus returns to deliver Israel and Jews across the world from annihilation—first at the hands of God/Magog, then the ten-nation confederation led by Antichrist Nero—Jews by the millions will look upon the one whom they pierced (Zechariah 12).

Then they will say: Baruch haba beshem Adonai … “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 23:39).

“And so all Israel will be saved…” (Romans 11:26).

Unfortunately, the Palestinians will most likely be fighting on the side of the Antichrist and his conventional armies by means of insurrection and continuing acts of terrorism within Israel. It will be Ishmael’s final attempt to overcome Isaac and replace his step-brother as the promised child. But Isaac has always been God’s choice to bring the ultimate Child of Promise (Messiah Jesus) to mankind.

To Jewish and Gentile believers in Christ, the Jewish Apostle Paul writes: “And you … are children of the promise, just like Isaac. But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit” (Galatians 4:28-29).

“…Joseph, son of David, the angel said, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21).

There will be no displaced people in Messiah’s government, for those who love and follow him.

“Don’t let foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord say, ‘The Lord will never let me be part of his people…’” (Isaiah 56:3).

“I will also bless the foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord, who serve him and love his name, who worship him…” (Isaiah 56:6).

“For the Sovereign Lord, who brings back the outcasts of Israel, says: ‘I will bring others, too, besides my people Israel’” (Isaiah 56:8).

The persistentunreasonable idea or feeling harbored by Israel’s enemies and even by her (few and far between) friends is whether Israel and especially Israel’s capital Jerusalem truly belongs to the Jews. Or are the Jews “occupying” Jerusalem and other parts of Israel?

Obsessive: “excessive often to an abnormal degree … need for quick solutions.” The entire planet is demanding urgent resolution to Israel’s problems, even though the core of these issues is at least three thousand years in the making.

Compulsion: “an irresistible impulse to perform an irrational act.” The compulsive agenda of many world leaders is to impulsively (bordering on the irrational) fix Israel. Their faulty premise: If they can fix Israel and solve Jerusalem’s status, then the entire Middle East can be fixed in some fashion or another.

As the first Eye of Prophecy article for a new year, there is no more fitting topic than the world’s fanatical focus on the tiny state of Israel, smaller in population than many cities on earth. It is political, racial, religious, and social OCD (Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder) on steroids and on a truly global scale. Since her rebirth as a sovereign state in 1948, no nation on earth has received more world-wide attention as has Israel. It is mind-boggling. We only need to look at the United Nations—to which virtually every nation on earth belongs— to confirm that this obsession is not an exaggeration.

Question: Is the United Nations really united? Answer: Of course not. How could it be when there’s such dissimilarity in geopolitical ideologies and practices from one country to another? If anything, there are deeper more divisive differences between nations than ever before—surpassing the disparities that spawned World War II, i.e. fascism versus democracy. Even within nations there is a growing polarity between such things as globalism and populism.

(United Nations General Assembly)

However, when it comes to Israel, the vast majority of otherwise disunited nations of the world have set aside their differences in a common cause that is glaringly and transparently anti-Israel. It is a unified agenda against the one and only Jewish state in the world, with only a handful of nations showing overt support for Israel. In both form and substance, it is a global conspiracy that defies all that is logical, reasonable, and moral. It is peer pressure at its worst. It is so very wrong.

Consequently, the Psalmist pleaded with the Lord:

“O God do not be silent! Do not be deaf. Do not be quiet, O God. Don’t you hear the uproar of your enemies? Don’t you see that your arrogant enemies are rising up? They devise crafty schemes against your people; they conspire against your precious ones. ‘Come,’ they say, ‘let us wipe out Israel as a nation. We will destroy the very memory of its existence’” (Psalm 83:1-4).

You can count on it! The Lord has heard the incessant threats of the nations against Israel. He has seen the dozens of UN Resolutions against Israel that are shamefully unfounded (based on ignorance or deliberate denial of Israel’s true historical right to the Promised Land), far outnumbering those against truly rogue nations like North Korea, Iran, Yemen, and Syria.

United Nations Retaliates Against the United States & Israel

Please refer to Eye of Prophecy article, U.S. President Agrees with God … Jerusalem is Israel’s Capital! Posted 12-9-17. Which includes quotes from Palestinians and Islamic leaders who blasted President’s Trump decision of 12-6-17 to officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital. But also from some of our allies who protested Trump’s decision, such as Great Britain, France, and Germany.

Soon after President Trump’s daring declaration on behalf of our Executive Staff to officially support the Jerusalem Embassy Act passed by a wide margin in the U.S. Congress (1995), the United Nations Security Council convened to vote on yet another resolution effectively against Israel, although the United States was directly targeted.

On December 18th, 2017, less than two weeks after President Trump’s historical announcement, a resolution to declare America’s recognition of Jerusalem as internationally illegal was approved by the UN Security Council. Although it only takes nine of the fifteen council member nations to pass a resolution, fourteen of the fifteen nations voted in favor. As you probably know by now, our United States Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, vetoed the decree.

As a reminder, there are five nations which hold a permanent seat on the Security Council: United States, France, Great Britain, Russia, and China. Each of these five nations possesses veto power for any Security Council resolution. The other ten nations are appointed for two-year terms.

The impetus for this resolution came from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) consisting of 57 Muslim countries, which conducted an “emergency meeting” soon after President Trump’s announcement. Egypt was selected as the country to draft the resolution.

(The Real Founding Purpose of the OIC Was to Deal With the “Zionist Entity” … Israel)

Not that the OIC needed any incentive to once again denigrate Israel (this time via the United States); however, their resolution was spurred on by comments such as made by Turkey’s President Erdogan—who regurgitated Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ previous rhetoric that the United States should be disqualified as a negotiator in Israeli/Palestinian peace process—because the US was no longer an “unbiased” peace broker.

Excuse me: Does that mean that all of the Islamic countries (both Arab and non-Arab) as well as many European nations are NOT biased (toward Israel), or do not favor the Palestinian narrative? That’s like saying the sun rises in the east only for some nations. Whether a good bias or a bad one (in the eye of the beholder) a bias is still a bias. But did President Trump show bias? If simply affirming the historical reality that Jerusalem is and always has been the only capital of Israel is prejudice, then every nation on earth is bigoted because they have exercised their sovereign right as a country to recognize any city of any nation on earth which has declared that city as their capital.

Essentially then, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution that contradicts and even defies one of the integral features and purposes for its very existence: acceptance and recognition of member states to establish its capital in the city of its choice.

Said US Ambassador Nikki Haley after the United States vetoed the resolution: “Today for the simple act of deciding where to put our embassy, the United States was forced to defend its sovereignty. The record will reflect that we did so proudly. Today for acknowledging a basic truth about the capital city of Israel, we are accused of harming peace. The record will reflect that we reject that outrageous claim. For these reasons and with the best interest of both the Israeli and the Palestinian people firmly in mind, the United States votes no on this resolution.”

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this about President Trump’s decision to acknowledge Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, then the subsequent U.S. veto of the malicious and misguided Security Council resolution, which took place during Israel’s celebration of Chanukah.

“Thank you, Ambassador Haley. On Chanukah, you spoke like a Maccabi. You lit a candle of truth. You dispel the darkness. One defeated the many. Truth defeated lies. Thank you, President Trump. Thank you, Nikki Haley.”

(Jewish Family Celebrating Hanukkah– See Eye of Prophecy Article: Hanukkah … The Festival Born of a Prophecy! Posted 12-31-16)

Ambassador Haley also referenced the deplorable UN Resolution 2334, supported (some even say instigated) by outgoing President Obama also in the month of December (2016). Among other anti-Israeli accusations, that resolution condemned the construction of Jewish homes in eastern Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. Although the U.S. didn’t vote for the resolution, it nevertheless abstained, which was tantamount to supporting it.

Said Nikki Haley: “In December 2016, the US elected to abstain. Now it is a new administration. Given the chance to vote again we would exercise a veto power. The US will not make that mistake again.”

The Security Council Resolution against the United States and Israel Was Not Enough

It was no secret to the entire world that the United States would veto the Security Council resolution. Thus, the Muslim nations convinced the United Nations to urgently convene a session in its General Assembly. Although it would be (legally) non-binding, the General Assembly passed its own resolution just three days later (12-21-17) declaring the U.S. action on Jerusalem, “null and void.”

The vote was 128 in favor and 9 against, with 35 countries abstaining and another 21 nations whose representatives didn’t attend the session. The Palestinians considered the vote to be a great victory for them and for the Muslim world, even though the resolution was unenforceable as compared to Security Council measures that are (legally) binding by international law. Said Palestinian Authority spokesman, Nabil Abu Rdainah: “We will continue our efforts in the United Nations and at all international forums to put an end to this occupation, and to establish a Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital.”

Central American countries Guatemala and Honduras were two of the nine nations that voted on the side of the United States and Israel. In fact, after speaking directly with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Guatemala’s President Jimmy Morales had already stated that he would move his country’s embassy to Jerusalem after the United States had done so. The other five countries (besides the US and Israel) were: Micronesia, Nauru, Tonga, Palau, and the Marshall Islands. How many of these countries have you heard of? None of them? Make no mistake: the true and living God—the God of Israel and of all who have placed their faith and eternal destiny in the Jewish Messiah, Jesus—heard their vote. According to God, he will bless those nations who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel. (Genesis 12).

The experts were wrong; they had predicted at least 150 nations would vote in favor of the sanction against the US and Israel. Accordingly, Prime Minister Netanyahu stated:

“Israel rejects the decision of the United Nations and, at the same time, we show gratitude to the high number of countries that abstained from this resolution. Israel thanks President Trump on his unequivocal position in favor of Jerusalem and thanks other countries that voted together with Israel, together with the truth.”

However, the political experts were right in forecasting that several nations who have in the past voted against Israel abstained this time because of what President Trump and Ambassador Haley had boldly said before the General Assembly’s vote on 12-21-17.

Tweeted President Trump with the clear message that US aid to some nations might be cut off or reduced if they defied America’s sovereign right to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital: “We’re watching those votes. Let them vote against us, we’ll save a lot. We don’t care.”

Said Nikki Haley: “The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in this assembly. We will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the world’s largest contribution to the U.N. and when other member nations ask Washington to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit.”

Echoing President Trump’s pledge, she went on to say: “America will put our embassy in Jerusalem. That is what the American people want us to do, and it is the right thing to do. No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that. But this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the U.N. and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the U.N. And this vote will be remembered.”

(US Ambassador to United Nations … Nikki Haley)

Author and columnist Sarah Stern wrote in an article published by the online new source Israel Hayom on 12-26-17 in which she comments on the UN’s reprehensible vote against the US, considering that America pays 22% of the U.N. budget—billions more than any other nation.

Said Ms. Stern: “Seeing as 20 of the 26 General Assembly votes in 2016 were directed against Israel—a full 77%–with only three on Syria, and one each on Iran, North Korea and Crimea, it came as no surprise that on Thursday, the General Assembly rejected President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital…

“The reason for this is the presence within the U.N. of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation—the largest body inside the U.N. and a powerful force against Israel. It is beyond ironic that nations with the glorious human rights records of Syria, Yemen, Iran and Saudi Arabia are lecturing the United States on democracy.

“Thank you, Nikki Haley for finally putting an end to the notion that nations can continue to insult the U.S. and its single democratic ally in the Middle East and then expect a free ride at the American taxpayer’s expense.”

Seventy-seven percent of UN resolutions against Israel (in 2016) is certainly nothing new. Since 2012, some 85% of the almost 90 UN Resolutions have been directed at Israel. And before 2012, UN resolutions were disproportionately anti-Israel. In fact, ever since Israel’s statehood in 1948, she has been the favorite target of this global organization that actually should be called, Nations United Against Israel.

Which reinforces the main theme of today’s article: the extraordinary focus of global attention on Israel is absolutely unprecedented in recorded history. Which is what the Bible said would happen in the last days. Our generation is witnessing the culmination of God’s two sweeping plans for the human race that will complete his three enduring covenants with Israel. Which, in turn, have brought and will bring untold blessings to Gentiles as well as to all Jews who recognize and accept the One destined to bring these covenants to final fruition.

That’s why the entire world is mesmerized by what is happening in the Middle East, especially in, to, and through Israel.

God’s Majestic Plans Accomplished Through Covenants

The first plan was set in motion by God’s covenant with Abraham, which itself was in two parts.

(A) The Chosen People: Abraham as the Patriarchal Father of God’s designated people the Jews, through whom Messiah would come. Messiah Jesus would be the ultimate source of blessing for both the Jews and Gentiles (Genesis 12:1-3, which lists seven promises).

(B) The Promised Land of Israel: As a perpetual inheritance and special possession of the Jews.

Said the Lord to Abraham: “I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you. And I will give you the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God” (Genesis 17:7-8).

Subsequently, there are several passages in the Old Testament that define the comprehensive boundaries of the Promised Land of Israel, such as Ezekiel Chapters 47-48 and Obadiah 1. Trust me (better yet trust the Bible): The original expanse of Israel when first given to the Jews (and will be returned to them during the Millennium) was much larger than modern-day Israel.

In preparation for the ultimate Promised Child (Messiah Jesus) through Isaac and a New Covenant that would provide a once for all substitutionary atonement for Israel and all people, the Lord gave a set of universal laws (Ten Commandments) and principles to Israel, but also hundreds of civil, ceremonial, and celebratory laws unique to God’s chosen people.

Because God’s people failed to keep the covenant of the law given through Moses, they were expelled (not once, but twice) from Israel just as the Lord said would happen if his people disobeyed and abandoned him.

Nonetheless, God’s covenant promise to Abraham was unconditional … though it would take thousands of years to be fully realized. In the interim, there are hundreds of Old Testament prophecies declaring that God himself would unilaterally restore the Jews to the Promised Land of Israel. This ultimate physical and spiritual redemption would come through Messiah.

“In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to bring back the remnant of his people—those who remain in Assyria and northern Egypt; in southern Egypt, Ethiopia, and Elam; in Babylonia, Hamath, and all the distant coastlands. He will raise a flag among the nations and assemble the exiles of Israel. He will gather the scattered people of Judah from the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 11:11-12).

The second plan was for God to replace the Mosaic Covenant with a New Covenant, as prophesied by Jeremiah (Chapter 31).

This superb Covenant of Grace would also be extended to the Gentiles, beginning with the substitutionary sacrifice of God’s Son (the Messiah) as so poignantly pictured in Isaiah Chapter 53 and other passages, to make all people right with God by simple faith in so great a salvation.

This covenant was implemented 2,000 years ago with the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Messiah Jesus. Just hours before he was mercilessly and unjustly crucified on a cross, Jesus ate a final meal with his disciples.

“After supper he took another cup of wine and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you’” (Luke 22:20).

That covenant of once-for-all sacrificial redemption has continued to this day, and will remain until the soon to come Rapture of Gentile Christians and Messianic Jews the world over. Followed by the greatest time of calamity the world has ever known, one that will last seven years.

The third covenant was one God made with King David, also in two parts … one conditional the other unconditional.

(A) Conditional Requirements: For descendants of King David to remain on his throne in Israel, they and the people must continue to follow the Lord their God. They did not. Result: End of the Davidic dynasty of kings.

(B) Unconditional Aspect of Davidic Covenant: At God’s appointed time, a King from the tribe of Judah would reinstate the Davidic dynasty. “…He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity…” (Isaiah 9:7).

Messiah Jesus will rule and reign as King of all kings from Jerusalem.

“And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord—his name alone will be worshipped” (Zechariah 14:9).

God’s Covenants Go Through Isaac, Not Ishmael

This is what infuriates Israel’s sworn enemies, which is virtually all Muslims and Islamic nations. They simply cannot tolerate a tiny Jewish nation whose people (whether religiously observant or not) claim to be descendants of a man chosen directly by a God who asserts that he is the only true and living God. But this hatred goes much further back than Muhammad’s invention of Islam and his selection of the moon-god Allah from among other pagan gods worshipped by the Arabs, to replace the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

It goes back to the Lord’s decision that Isaac, not Ishmael, would be the child of promise—ancestor of the greater Child of Promise to come later—Messiah. Some 1.5 billion Muslims on this planet simply will not tolerate the truth of God’s Covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

They have rewritten the Biblical historical record to, among other things, fraudulently claim that Ishmael was Abraham’s rightful heir to the promises of God’s Covenant with Abraham. All the while asserting that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (which is how God initially referred to himself) was really Allah. And that Abraham was actually Muslim—some 2,500 years before Muhammad concocted Islam as a religion. Which to anyone with any (historical) objectivity and common sense at all would realize is pathetically absurd.

(*Note: Once again I will say in no uncertain terms: The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who then revealed his Divine universal name (Yahweh) to Moses is NOT the same as Allah. Or any other man-made god. The differences between the Bible and the Koran and between El Shaddai (God Almighty … another name for the God of the Bible) and Allah are absolutely light years apart.)

But this irrational hatred of the Jews extends far beyond the Arabs and Muslims of the world. The Crusades, the Inquisitions, the European and Russian pogroms, and most (worst) of all the horrendous Holocaust at the hands of the “superior Aryan” Third Reich prove that anti-Semitism has crossed all racial, religious, political, and cultural lines.

No matter the ideology—whether eastern mysticism or western pragmatism, whether religious or non-religious, whether political or apolitical—there is a convergence of world opinion that something must be done about Israel … good, bad, or somewhere in between. Nations are taking sides for or (mostly) against Israel with such a powerful polarity that they will not allow Israel to determine her own destiny.

Even President Trump said that his decision to declare Jerusalem as Israel’s capital would mean that the Israelis would have to “pay” (meaning reciprocate) for “concessions” that would be required of Israel should peace negotiations ever resume. He did not intend that as a threat to Israel. Rather, he was responding to Palestinian Authority President Abbas’ staff which claimed that President Trump was “blackmailing” them with his threat (which it was to the PA) to cut off aid unless the Palestinians included the United States in peace negotiations.

The winds of war are whipping across this planet. As born again believers, we know full well that the ultimate source and force behind the evil ideologies (fascism, communism, state religions, totalitarianism, and New Age globalism) is Satan, himself. He knows the Scriptures and he’s well acquainted with God’s plans so powerfully presented in the Bible. He’s fully aware that God intends to carry out his covenant with Abraham, whereby the Jewish people will forever possess the Promised Land, with Jerusalem as the Holy Capital City of that Holy Land.

Here’s what Jesus said about Satan:

Satan has been preoccupied with eliminating both the Jews and Israel from the face of the earth. He knows that Jerusalem is the heart and soul of Israel. It is to Jerusalem that Messiah will return. And it is from Jerusalem that he will rule and reign victoriously in a Kingdom of righteousness, justice, and peace—all three of which Satan hates. In Satan’s warped mentality: No Jerusalem, no Israel. No Israel, no return of Messiah.

In a two-front war, the devil has also continued his campaign to kill as many Christians as possible. While also devising false religions to strike the Kingdom of Heaven from within—an even more deceitful and dangerous threat, because many more will die in their sins from a false gospel than true believers killed for their faith.

“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty power in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

An Intriguing Paradox

There is a remarkable phenomenon underway whereby some national leaders are developing friendly ties with Israel, even though the majority of their people still harbor anti-Semitic feelings against Jews. Still, when it came time on a global level to support Israel (by accepting at face value America’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital), many nations (such as India) that have recently struck up a liaison with Israel, bowed to international peer pressure and voted in favor of the UN General Assembly resolution.

This ambivalent, puzzling disposition of nations toward Israel is exactly what Scripture said would happen, especially when the Gog/Magog coalition invades Israel. This massive campaign led by Russia, Iran, and Turkey (all three of which have a military presence in Syria right next door to Israel) will occur not long after the Rapture.

Says the Sovereign Lord to Gog/Magog, “…At that time evil thoughts will come to your mind, and you will devise a wicked scheme. You will say, ‘Israel is an unprotected land filled with unwalled villages! I will march against her and destroy these people who live in such confidence!” (Ezekiel 38:10-11).

The clear concept conveyed in this passage is that Israel will be at a level of peace not thought possible by Israelis or the rest of the world. Obviously, it will be a false sense of security.

It’s actually not so much the fact that the vast majority of nations still oppose Israel publicly, as demonstrated by the ridiculous and completely disproportionate (especially against the only democracy in the entire Middle East) UN resolutions. As indicated, this hostility towards Israel has been around for a long time. What’s Biblically important to grasp is the incomprehensible, inordinate obsession with Israel by virtually every nation on earth—not the least of which are the most powerful countries including, of course, the United States.

I’m convinced that the “wicked scheme” prophesied by Ezekiel is currently being devised by those nations who seek Israel’s total destruction. The particulars of their diabolical plan to “wipe Israel from the face of the earth” is already underway. All the pieces are in place like never before. They fully intend to move the “immovable rock of Jerusalem” from Israeli control (Zechariah 12:3). First, politically, through a United Nations (against Israel). When that doesn’t work, then an all-out military attack against Israel. But that won’t happen until after the Rapture. However, the Rapture is as imminent as it ever has been.

Thanks be to our Great God and Savior (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit); he has his own majestic plan. And he has the incomparable power and authority to achieve his purpose for national Israel and for spiritual Israel (Jew and Gentile believers in Messiah Jesus).

Here is God’s warning to those people and nations who defy the Lord and his Son:

“Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one. ‘Let us break their chains,’ they cry, ‘and free ourselves from slavery to God.’

“But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lords scoffs at them. Then in anger he rebukes them, terrifying them with his fierce fury. For the Lord declares, ‘I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.’

“The king proclaims the Lord’s decree: The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son. Today I have become your Father. Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession. You will break them with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.’

“Now then, you kings act wisely! Be warned, you rulers of the earth! Serve the Lord with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling. Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities—for his anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him!” (Psalm 2:1-12).

The Lord knows exactly which nations are devising a wicked plan against Israel and what that plan is. And we who know the Lord as personal Savior (Jew and Gentile alike) fully realize that we are here for such a time as this. Moreover, many Jews in Israel and the world over—who do not yet recognize Jesus as their Messiah nor have accepted him as God’s Son, their Savior— readily realize that their redemption is drawing near.

The nations are in a frenzy over Jerusalem. God said that one day he would grant their wish to try to solve the Jewish problem on a truly global scale.

In fact, the Lord will take the initiative himself as demonstrated in his words to Gog, “I will turn you around and drive you toward the mountains of Israel, bringing you from the distant north” (Ezekiel 39:2).

God himself will crush this arrogant Magog confederation in the early part of the Great Tribulation.

Then during the final battle of Armageddon regarding the ten-nation coalition led by Antichrist Nero, we read:

“At the time of those events, says the Lord, when I restore the prosperity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather the armies of the world into the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will judge them for harming my people, my special possession, for scattering my people among the nations, and for dividing up my land…

“Say to the nations far and wide: ‘Get ready for war! Call out your best warriors. Let all your fighting men advance for the attack. Hammer your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Train even your weaklings to be warriors. Come quickly, all you nations everywhere. Gather together in the valley.’

“And now, O Lord, call out your warriors! Let the nations be called to arms. Let them march to the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I, the Lord, will sit to pronounce judgment on them all” (Joel 3:1-2 & 9-12).

Summary

We are in the 3rd Millennium since the birth of Messiah Jesus and the 7th overall, as indicated in last week’s Eye of Prophecy article. Both are vitally significant numbers and periods of time in the Bible. Although there are multiple signs of last day’s prophecies being fulfilled in our generation, those millennial reasons (numbers) alone are signaling the soon return of Messiah Jesus. There have been seven major epochs in Jewish history (three since Messiah Jesus’s first advent) in which some nations have attempted to (literally) eliminate Jews and/or Israel from the earth.

Pharaoh’s Suppression of the Jews From Becoming a Nation

The Canaanite Tribes Effort to Drive the Jews out of Israel (Joshua to King David)

The Assyrian and Babylonian Conquests of Israel/Judah, Resulting in “Ten Lost Tribes of Israel”

The Evil Persian Haman’s Planned Genocide of the Jews

The Roman Destruction of Jerusalem and the 2nd Temple & Massive Dispersion of the Jews to Other Nations

A Genocide Attempt by Hitler’s Third Reich … Killing Six Million Jews

The (Soon to Come) Gog/Magog, Then Antichrist Nero’s Coalition to Eliminate Israel as a Sovereign Nation.

Things to Ponder

The eyes of the world are on Israel. That magnified telescopic focus will only intensify in 2018.

And so is God intently watching over Israel.

“But the land into which you are about to cross to possess it, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year” (Deuteronomy 11:11-12, NASB).

Says King David about the Lord’s love for and protection of Israel and of God’s people:

“How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. You hide them in the shelter of your presence, safe from those who conspire against them. You shelter them in your presence, far from accusing tongues” (Psalm 31:19-20).

Listen to the song of those in Israel’s antiquity as they ascended to Temple Mount (and even in today’s world with the millions of Jewish and Gentile tourists and Israeli citizens who visit Temple Mount):

Wake up people of the earth. The King is coming!

God has given everyone the freedom and authority to answer the following questions, but they must be answered. Neutrality is not an option with God.

Is Messiah Jesus coming for you or against you? Is he your Savior or your Judge?

“The Father loves his Son and has put everything into his hands. And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey (the obedience of faith in Messiah Jesus) the Son will never experience life but remains under God’s angry judgement” (John 3:35-36, parenthesis mine).

Whether Jesus Christ was born on December 25th or from mid-September through October, perhaps even on the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) as some Bible scholars propose, doesn’t really matter. The Son of God and God the Son came into this world on Christmas Day.

According to God’s prophet, Messiah would be born of a Virgin (Isaiah 7:14). Mary was that virgin, and Jesus was that child.

The prophet Micah pinpointed the exact place of Messiah’s birth—Bethlehem Ephrathah—for there were two towns in Israel named Bethlehem when Jesus was born. Yet Micah’s stunning prophecy encompassed more than just the place of Messiah’s birth and his divine origin from the ancient past. It also foretold of Messiah’s people, the Jews, returning to Israel even before their exile to Babylon and long before their second exile to the four corners of the earth in 70 A.D.

“But you O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past. The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies until the woman in labor gives birth. Then at last his fellow countrymen will return from exile to their own land (which began to take place in great numbers in 1948). And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. Then his people will live there undisturbed, for he will be highly honored around the world. And he will be the source of peace…” (Micah 5:2-5a, parenthesis mine).

Micah’s prophecy was sweeping in scope, from the time of Messiah Jesus’s birth to his Millennial Reign on earth, which is soon to come. When that happens, “Then the remnant left in Israel will take their place among the nations” (Verse 7). That remnant is already taking shape in our generation.

Has the name of Jesus, which the Scriptures say is the name of above all names, been “highly honored around the world?” Yes, but not like he will be revered upon his majestic return to the earth.

And, also no, as the name of Jesus Christ has been scorned more and more in our generation, as have believers who bear his name.

According to Messiah Jesus, there would be a time just before the (last days) Day of the Lord—set into motion by the imminent Rapture—when true believers in Christ, “…will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other… Sin will be rampant everywhere and the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:9-12).

Reliable statistics tell us that more Christians have been deprived of property and jobs, imprisoned, tortured, murdered, or forced to flee their homes in the 20th & 21st centuries than in all preceding centuries combined including the 1st century. This unparalleled brutality has been noticeable (documented) in at least 50 countries such as North Korea, China, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia, and Nigeria; and in several Middle East Muslim nations like Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia.

Although not (yet) in the form of physical cruelty, we’ve seen an alarming surge of anti-Christian legislation and hostility in our halls of government, our schools and universities, the military, and private businesses in the United States of America … supposedly the greatest sanctuary of liberty and individual rights on this planet.

Wrote the Jewish Apostle Paul: “You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!” (II Timothy 3:1-5).

Scoffing at God … nothing is sacred … loving pleasure rather than God.

Many unwittingly and some deliberately are preparing the way for a New Age; an utopian era that will nevertheless be established and led by an (the) Anti-Christ who, “…will have no respect … for any other god, for he will boast that he is greater than them all” (Daniel 11:37). He will satisfy their desire to, “…break their chains … and free ourselves from slavery to God” (Psalm 2:3).

They will embrace to the point of worship, “This man (who) will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them” (II Thessalonians 2:9-10).

The opposite of truth is untruth (lies).

“And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist” (I John 2:22).

This spirit of antichrist is facilitating the reappearance of The Antichrist (Nero). Among other things, it has begun to suppress and swap the true spirit of Christmas. Our humanistic, relativistic society has redefined Christmas, and relegated the Christ of Christmas to what is considered an irrelevant distant past.

Is the Christ of Christmas Relevant Any Longer?

Beginning some 50 years ago and accelerating in the last decade, nowhere are these prophetic end-times’ characteristics more exemplified than in the decline of the real meaning of and purpose for celebrating Christmas. Individuals, groups, businesses, and entire (so-called) Christian nations all over the globe are trivializing and even removing Christ from Christmas, both passively and actively.

Which, if you think about it, is preposterously perplexing. No different than saying that George Washington’s and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays have no relevancy to President’s Day in February. Or that the 4th of July Declaration of Independence has nothing whatsoever to do with the birth of a nation … the United States of America.

(Memorial Day: Should We Not Even Give A Passing Thought to the Brave Men and Women Who Died or Were Disabled While Serving the USA?)

What if your parents and other loved ones ignored the “you” of your birthday?

Here is an excerpt from Eye of Prophecy article, Merry Christmas … What’s It All About? Posted 12-20-14 (in italics, with non-italic words italicized in that article):

Historical figures, nations, and events other than Christ Jesus and Christmas have their own recognized anniversaries. Does anyone demand that observance of these special occasions be religiously generalized and socially or politically expanded to embrace other religious or national figures or events, so as not to be inclusive of just one person? So as not to offend those of other faiths or ideological persuasions?

Even an ordinary birthday or event merits the minimum consideration of that day belonging to an individual or a city or a nation and, therefore, acknowledged as such. What would you think if I refused to wish you a Happy Birthday because I didn’t want to offend someone else who wasn’t born on the same day, and who didn’t share the same enthusiasm for your birthday? Or who believed differently from you, or belonged to another race, or was left-handed? Ridiculous? Of course. It’s your special day. So Happy Birthday already! I mean that sincerely … unless it’s not your birthday!

Might we be more politically correct never to say Happy Thanksgiving? After all, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan is much closer to Thanksgiving than it is to Christmas. Shouldn’t it be: Happy Thanksramadan?!

Perhaps we should no longer wish someone a Happy Valentine’s Day in case they take an exception to anyone who has a Saint in front of their name? It is Saint Valentine isn’t it? Might we say, “Happy Heart Day” or “Merry Chocolate?”

…It isn’t whether we use the word happy or merry. It’s that word, Christmas that causes all the fuss.

More than that: it’s the name Christ that gets so many people all up tight. That’s right … all it takes is a mention of his name. That is, unless it’s used as profanity … no problem then.

Why? Because His name is who he is (Yeshua in Hebrew, Jesus in Greek/English, both mean Savior), and a lot of folks just can’t handle that. They don’t want or need a Savior. Certainly not one who claims that he is the Son of God, that he alone is “The Way, The Truth, and The Life” (John 14:6). How exclusively narrow-minded can anyone be? The fact that he was born of a Virgin, performed amazing miracles, and then arose from the dead to validate his claim as Messiah who alone can redeem, can forgive sin; is an affront to those who maintain that self-enabled good works and innate self-worth is the only way to God.

…No other holiday causes anything close to the angst experienced and consternation expressed by the secular among us or those of another religion who take offense at hearing the very name of Jesus or even a special representation of his name—Christmas. What relevance does the birth of a Savior (no man-made religions have a Savior … did you know that?) any longer have to the last holiday of the year? In fact, the very name of Christ and Christmas is an embarrassment to many. It’s just not politically correct.

A Hallmark Christmas

Hallmark Cards is one of the largest corporations in the world. From this greeting card giant came the Hallmark Television Channel in 2001, having begun as the American Christian Television System in 1984; then changing to the Faith & Values Channel in 1993 and the Odyssey Network in 1996.

According to Wikipedia: “The Hallmark Channel is an American cable and satellite television network that is owned by Crown Media Holdings, which is owned by Hallmark Cards. The channel’s programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies and miniseries, original and acquired television series, and lifestyle programs. As of February, 2015, Hallmark Channel is available to approximately 85,439,000 pay television households (73.4% of households with television) in the United States.”

Subsequently the network created Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, a separate channel dedicated almost exclusively to movies especially Christmas films (shown year around), with the newest sister channel debuting just this year … Hallmark Drama.

For women between the ages of 25-54, the Hallmark Channel was the most watched network during the 4th quarter of 2016. Included in Hallmark’s archives are 136 Christmas films produced since the movie channel’s inception. With 33 new Christmas movies aired in a marathon that began in October, 2017 and continuing as this week’s Eye of Prophecy article is being posted.

According to Crown Media’s CEO Bill Abbott, summarizing Hallmark’s underlying philosophy and objectives especially through movies: “We are a place you can go and feel good.”

Although Hallmark is becoming progressively secularized (in contrast to its early beginning of Christian-oriented programming), it still purports to convey the virtues of family and faith.

But faith in what? In whom?

Faith in “feeling good.” Or faith in “the spirit of Christmas.” That phrase or something similar is emphasized in the majority of Hallmark’s Christmas movies, and is often the passionate pursuit of one or more of the characters; no matter what that spirit of Christmas means to them, as long as they find it. I say this first-hand, as I have watched about 15 of these movies over the past year. And in the four to five years before that, perhaps 7-8 Hallmark Christmas movies. I would assume they’re a cross-section representation of all their Christmas films.

So, what is the spirit of Christmas?

Is it just to feel good for a few days at the end of every year? Not that there’s anything wrong with feeling good. Unless it becomes an obsessive goal in life at all cost. A relentless quest to feel good, no matter the repercussions, can sometimes result in others feeling bad (hurting them). Particularly when such a pursuit excludes the very source of what is absolutely good and right and true and eternal—God who created us and who has given us so great (good) a salvation through His Son, Jesus.

Don’t get me wrong. The intent of today’s article is not to bash Hallmark Christmas movies; in general terms, they have improved considerably in the last 2-3 years (personal opinion). Especially with their scripts—as a writer, I appreciate and look for a well-written screen-play—with the acting, and with the plot. There is more substance and depth to (some of the) recent Hallmark movies, Christmas or otherwise.

However, Hallmark Christmas films have become so secularized (politically correct) that rarely do they mention the name of Jesus or Christ. And certainly not Jesus Christ in the same breath. Seldom do we hear the hallowed Christmas hymns and carols, excepting an occasional Joy to the World or Silent Night. But they are replete with secular Christmas songs that convey the sights of Frosty the Snowman, smells of Chestnuts Roasting by the Fire, and sounds of Jingle Bells.

What does the true meaning of Christmas—the real significance of the Savior’s birth—have to do with children getting their two front teeth at Christmas, or a reindeer running over grandma, or wanting a hippopotamus for Christmas (for only a hippopotamus will do)? For sure, these images are cute, warm, and fuzzy (except for poor grandma) and probably would make even the Grinch feel good about himself and others.

(If Ebenezer Scrooge Had Only Watched “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, I’m Sure He Would Have Changed His Ways Long Before Seeing the Ghosts of Christmas Past!)

And, would Christmas be Christmas without Santa Claus? I’ll let you answer that question for yourself. But remember, Santa Claus believes in Christmas! Which begs another question: Could Christmas survive without Santa?

Invariably, the “spirit of Christmas” entails one of the main characters in a Hallmark movie discovering the “meaning of Christmas” that they never knew or had lost somewhere along the way. That true meaning is normally found by someone who has been down on Christmas because of business, or family, or personal setbacks. Or meeting and falling in love with someone who loves Christmas for any number of feel good reasons. Or believing again or for the first time in the “miracles of Christmas.”

With the miracles unfolding in various ways such as: mysteriously arranging or reuniting the paths of star-crossed lovers; resolving otherwise irreconcilable disputes of family members or friends; or getting an impossible career promotion … all worthy of successful conflict-resolution storylines. Yet, omitting the very miracle of Christmas itself—the Virgin Birth of the child Jesus. And never mentioning the miracle of his Resurrection as the triumphant conclusion to why Jesus was born in the first place—to sacrifice his life for the sins of humanity, and to establish the everlasting Kingdom of God on earth in his Second Coming.

Hallmark Movies in a Broader Perspective

As indicated, this week’s article is not about denigrating Hallmark Christmas movies. To do so would be to focus on a symptom, not cause and origin. The problem is much more pervasive than a few secular-stained Christmas movies. In fact, I personally like some of the (more) recent Hallmark productions. Who doesn’t like a good story with a happy ending? It’s just that these stories are wrapped in disguise of the real Christmas spirit, discarding the Christ of Christmas who was gift-wrapped for us in God’s amazing grace.

One of my favorites is, Journey Back to Christmas (2016), starring Candace Cameron Bure, Oliver Hudson, and Tom Skerritt. Yet, even that Christmas miracle is based on a “Christmas comet” which mysteriously strikes Bure; catapulting her into the future where she encounters first, second, and third family generations of those she met during World War I. And then is reunited with her husband thought to be killed in the war, when the comet returns (now 71 years later) and transports her back to the present. The movie was skillfully written, produced, directed, and acted … one that will tug at the strings of your heart.

Obviously the primary purpose of a movie is entertainment. As a Christian, I certainly can and will remember the real reason why I love and honor Christmas, without Hallmark Christmas movies affecting that reverence for the birth of Christ, whether in a positive or negative way. There are two reason why I have watched more Christmas movies in the past few years: (1) For the entertainment, enhanced even more with a narrative that emphasizes morality and Judeo/Christian ethics. (2) To see what’s happening with and in those movies concerning the real meaning of Christmas.

Unfortunately, what I have noticed is that—unintentionally or intentionally (I would hope the former)—the portrayal of Christmas has tainted the message and purpose of Christmas itself. By and large, the movies present a (vague) “spirit of Christmas” as an end unto itself, without any need for the Christ of Christmas. Which is equivalent to redefining, or at the very least minimizing, what the spirit of Christmas is really all about.

The undermining end result is that the media’s “spirit of Christmas” is competing with and even contradicting the Christ of Christmas. Which is, sadly, a representation and repetitive reinforcement of what’s happening in America and all over the world in two ways, and not just at Christmas time: (1) an intense agnostic style attack on Christianity and the authority of the Bible as the Word of God; with increasing antagonism toward “born-again Christians” who have a personal relationship with the One Person who exclusively claims to be the Way, Truth, and Life, thereby, the ONLY way to God. (2) Or, a superficial show of religion—acting religious but denying the real power and authority of God by refusing to consider Christ as the exclusive source of salvation.

I think we would all agree on one thing: the immense influence of the entertainment media and also that of literature and journalism in our daily and seasonal lives. They reflect, but also restructure society’s attitudes, preferences, morality, and belief systems.

On the plus side, there are three things that Christmas movies and Christmas specials contain. All three of which are a bona fide reason to celebrate this joyous time of the year.

They are: (1) Lights/decorations; (2) Giving and receiving of presents; (3) Harmony and togetherness of family.

However, on the minus side: all three in our post-modern society are conspicuously empty of the real reason for the season—Christ Jesus himself.

*Note: Despite the modern-day emphasis of Christmas without Christ, there is still a sense of awe over the entire earth that something very special happened 2000 years ago. As for me, I never get tired of the Good News: from beginning to end—the birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, and soon to be glorious return of the greatest man to ever walk the earth.

“For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time” (I Timothy 2:5-6).

And when was that time? Might it have been Christmas Day!

The Honored Tradition of Christmas Lights

Beginning with an incidental what if: What would we call Christmas trees, or Christmas lights, or Christmas presents, or the holiday (Holy Day) itself if we deleted the name of Christ? Silly question … perhaps. Actually, many have devised an answer to those questions: Holiday trees, lights, and presents. If so, then are we really celebrating Christmas as Christmas?

The problem with that mentality is that we should then call all of our holidays by no other name than holiday. So New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, Resurrection Day (Easter), Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving should be dropped. Instead, we would number the holidays chronologically on the calendar and designate them as Holiday #1, #2, #3, and so on!

What do Christmas lights represent? I trust that you know the answer to that question; however, there are some who don’t. Or don’t want to know. Or, worse … don’t care.

Jesus the Christ (we just say Jesus Christ, but he is Jesus the Messiah) bears many wonderful names and titles, signifying who he is and what he has done for mankind. Such as:

He is the Good Sheppard and the Gate for the sheep … all of us who have been saved by believing and receiving him, the one who sacrificed his life for the sheep (John 10:7 & 11).

He is the Lord of all lords and King of all kings, who will soon return in power and great glory (Revelation 17:14 & Matthew 24:30).

He is the Living Word of God, who existed from the beginning with God for he is God the Son the second Person of the Trinity. Jesus himself said he is “I AM” … Yahweh, the Holy Name of God (John 1:1 & John 8:58).

And, in keeping with today’s theme: “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, ‘I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life’” (John 8:12).

Jesus fulfilled all of the prophecies concerning the Messiah. Such as: “…the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined” (Matthew 4:16, quoting Isaiah 42:6: “…And you will be a light to guide the nations”).

When Christ first set foot in the rebuilt Temple, after God’s presence (glory) left Solomon’s Temple that was subsequently destroyed, he accomplished—temporarily, with final fulfillment upon his glorious return—another prophecy of the Messiah:

“Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you. Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you. All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance” (Isaiah 60:1-3).

Why else do we put up lights at Christmas time? The beautiful lights of Christmas illustrate the magnificent light of salvation that illuminates our minds and hearts through Messiah Jesus when we personally trust him for our salvation. Christmas lights brighten our homes and communities.

The Giving and Receiving of Presents

Can you think of anything about Christmas more treasured than the giving of gifts, then the receiving of those gifts by our loved ones? Especially the children. To watch their eyes light up as they brim with excitement, and eagerly unwrap their package. To listen to their squeals of delight or shouts of joy when they see what you have given them. To cherish their gratitude, “It’s what I’ve always wanted. Thank you Mom!” Or, “Thank you, Dad. You remembered.” Or a husband to his wife, “It’s not what I expected. It’s even better. I love you, honey.”

Christmas without lights and also without giving is like the 4th of July without fireworks. Or like Thanksgiving Day without giving thanks. Even if your only gift is wishing someone a Merry Christmas, it is as they say, “the thought that counts.” If all you can do is to revere the very reason for the season and whisper a prayer of gratitude, then that’s a sacrifice of (thanks) giving to God (Psalm 50:14).

Isn’t that what Christmas is all about? It is cherishing the greatest gift of all time. Born fully human and fully God; Christ freely gave his life to purchase our redemption, a complete pardon for all of our sins.

There are no conditions, except to simply accept that gift by believing and receiving Christ as our personal Savior. Do you know of anyone who receives a Christmas gift and then says, “I’m sorry, but I didn’t earn this gift. I can’t accept it.”

No one can do enough or be enough or even give enough to earn redemption. For it is Christ who willingly paid the price, doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.

“So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:21, italics for emphasis).

The Family

The time-honored celebration of Christmas reminds us of the brightest light to ever shine on this dark and dreary planet—Messiah Jesus. His light was snuffed out through the greatest sacrifice ever made by the highest price ever paid. But in three days, his glory shone brighter than ever; the resurrected Christ now seated at the right hand of the Father, awaiting the appointed time to return and make all things right in this wicked world. To brilliantly light up the world with righteousness, justice, and peace.

No matter the size of your immediate family or extended family or even if you are alone this Christmas and limited to calls or emails or Christmas cards; Christmas is for family, including a family of one. If all we do is pray for our loved ones, that is still the best gift of all.

Even if your parents or children have “disowned you” you are still a member of their family. Once born on this earth you can’t be unborn, no matter what you do or what is done to you.

So, too, with the family of God. Once you are born again, you cannot be unborn. You are an adopted child in God’s family with all the rights of God’s magnificent inheritance for his children.

“Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God’” (John 3:3).

“But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

Writes the Jewish Apostle Paul:

“God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him” (Ephesians 1:12-14).

Things to Ponder

Whether you put up Christmas lights or not, whether you give or receive a single present or not, whether you are with immediate or extended family or are all alone. The gift of God’s salvation shines as bright as ever, and gives birth in God’s family for simply believing and receiving God’s gracious gift of His Son. That is what Christmas (or any time of the year) is all about.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every true believer on earth and maybe even some unbelievers would open their Bible or at least get online and read one, two, or all of the following Christmas passages … the Greatest Story ever told. A story that began long before Jesus was born, one for cause to pause and ponder the core of Christmas.

“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” (Isaiah 9:6-7).

To Joseph, the angel said: “…do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21).

To Mary, the angel said: “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” (Luke 1:31-33).

To the shepherds guarding their sheep that night an angel suddenly appeared and said: “…Don’t be afraid … I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” (Luke 2:10-11).

He came to us as the light of the world, the greatest gift ever given … his precious blood and life for our sins. To give us the awesome privilege of birth in the family of God that leads to everlasting life.

Christ Jesus is the just for the unjust, the righteous for the unrighteous.

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (II Corinthians 5:21).

No other city in the world has garnered more attention for so long than Jerusalem. No other nation on earth has generated more controversy in the past 70 years than Israel.

Jerusalem is the most significant of ancient cities still in existence, beginning with the glory years of King David and King Solomon. Older cities such as Damascus couldn’t hold a candle to Jerusalem in terms of international prominence and recognition. Through God’s divine providence, the rise and fall and exploits of notable nations have been directly related to Jerusalem.

The crowning achievement of the once mighty city-nation of Babylon was its utter destruction of Jerusalem and of Solomon’s Temple. But Babylon was expressly chosen by the Lord to punish his people for their flagrant disobedience … for abandoning the true and living God who had generously given them the Promised Land, and who established Jerusalem as its eternal capital.

After Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple—136 years after Assyria conquered the ten northern tribes (Israel)—it became the most feared nation on earth. But God, in his sovereign purpose for his special possession, Israel, had declared before Israel was even conquered that the exile to Babylon would last only 70 years. Then the Lord chose Persia as the nation that would defeat Babylon and deliver his people from captivity. God even named the Persian ruler who would issue the edict for the Jews to return and rebuild the Temple some 150 years before Cyrus was born! Subsequently, the Persian King Artaxerxes authorized Nehemiah’s journey to Israel to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

The culminating triumph of Alexander the Great’s astonishing campaign in conquering nation after nation was when he reached Jerusalem. Because Alexander was so impressed that the Bible had foretold his stunning accomplishments, he spared Jerusalem and wished the Jews well in serving their God.

Likewise, the mighty Roman Empire focused inordinate attention on Israel and Jerusalem, than otherwise merited by such a small country that had (at the time) virtually no say in or control over their future. So much so that the fifth Roman Emperor Nero sent eight Roman legions (around 60,000 troops) to Israel under Generals Vespasian and Titus to crush the Jewish revolt of 66 AD. Which led to the complete demolition of the 2nd Temple and dispersion of the Jews throughout the earth for some 1,900 years.

Those powerful empires are long gone, but Israel is alive and well, and Jerusalem will remain its God-appointed capital forever!

It was Jerusalem that motivated (mostly) Roman Catholic Crusaders to wrongly march three times on Israel over a period of 200 years to liberate the holy city from Muslim control, killing thousands of Jews on their way to the Holy Land. When, in fact, the reason for Muslim domination of Israel was to prevent the Jews from exercising their (rightful) control of Jerusalem.

Otherwise, the Arabs and later the Ottoman Empire had little concern for Jerusalem since Islam was founded by Muhammad in the 7th century A.D. That lack of interest suddenly changed when Israel was miraculously reborn as a sovereign state in 1948, and especially after Israel recaptured (liberated) Jerusalem along with the Golan Heights, Sinai, Gaza, and Judea/Samaria in the remarkable Six Day War of 1967. It was then that Jerusalem once again rose to international prominence. Only for Israel, under international pressure, to relinquish functional administration of Judea/Samaria, including (so-called) East Jerusalem, back to Jordanian control.

When Israel defeated Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq, who attacked the Jews the day after Israel became an independent nation on May 14, 1948, the Arabs forfeited any potential (perceived) claim they had to Jerusalem—or for that matter to any part of Israel. Actually, they lost that right when they rejected the UN Resolution of 1947 which offered states for both the Jews and Arabs, with Jerusalem as a city under international jurisdiction—which never happened. Instead, Jordan illegally took over Judea/Samaria (West Bank) including much of Jerusalem and all of Temple Mount with hardly a whisper of protest from the United Nations.

However, the Arabs had minimal interest in Jerusalem for nearly 3,000 years until the Jews reclaimed all of the Holy City in the Six-Day War. That’s when the Arabs referred to themselves on a regular basis as Palestinians, as indicated in last week’s Eye of Prophecy article: What is Palestine & Who Is A Palestinian? And that’s when the Arabs became noticeably “interested” in Temple Mount in particular and Jerusalem in general.

Jerusalem Stands Alone and Unique Among World Capitals

There is not a single country on this planet whose capital city has not been recognized by other nations, except Israel.

All nations have the inalienable right to declare its capital, except Israel, according to world opinion. The United States executive branch under a President whose campaign included a promise to move our embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem still relied on the now defunct international status of Jerusalem proposed in the 1947 United Nations Resolution. That feature of the 1947 Resolution immediately became null and void by virtue of Arab refusal to abide by the resolution in any way, shape, or form. Nevertheless, even the United States has deferred to that meaningless and irrelevant international status of Jerusalem as a basis to disavow Jerusalem as Israel’s capital … until now.

All of this despite the US Senate and House of Representatives near unanimous passage of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995; with, however, a contingency clause for a Presidential Waiver of the Embassy move every six months. Waiver or not, the embassy was supposed to be relocated to Jerusalem by the end of May, 1999.

Here is an excerpt from Eye of Prophecy article, Jerusalem … A Capital without a Country (published 6-13-15), beginning with the first two paragraphs of that article (in italics):

Or is it: Israel … A Country without a Capital? It’s a shame that either of these two concepts should even be in the form of a question. But they are, and they must be faced head-on and answered. Any response depends entirely on whether a sovereign nation possesses the inherent right to choose its own capital; which is a reasonable presumption, or it should be. So we’ll begin with both barrels blazing and boldly assert: Of course, a sovereign state has that right! For Israeli Jews, the answer is as obvious as it would be to an American citizen who would never question whether Washington D.C. is the Capital of the United States of America … Jerusalem is the (eternal) capital of Israel.

Yet, the United States and virtually every nation on earth does NOT recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city. Instead, they have placed embassies in Tel Aviv; thereby, telling Israel that Tel Aviv is its seat of government, not Jerusalem. So drop the capital and the issue actually becomes: Jerusalem, a City without a Country? That is precisely how the US President and his staff, as well as most governments, classify Jerusalem—which reduces it to the same status as the Vatican … a city-state inside a country but without a country.

Then later in that article:

But concerning the possibility of a Palestinian State, all of this is really a moot point. Because of one monumentally significant truth and fact: Israel will never ever allow Jerusalem to be divided into two capitals. In that context, why can’t Ramallah in the West Bank be the capital of any future Palestinian State? That is the current headquarters of the Palestinian Authority. Or any city in the Gaza Strip, current headquarters of the governing authority, Hamas? I’ll tell you why. Because the Palestinians do not want Israel to exist at all, and certainly not Jerusalem as Israel’s God-given capital.

Following the American Civil War, can you imagine that, after winning the war, the United States (northern states) agreed to cede the southern half of Washington D.C. to the Confederacy as the Confederate capital? For that matter, to even allow the Confederate States to exist as isolated states in a separate Union? Or for the first United States Congress or Executive Staff to do the same with Great Britain after their hard-fought victory in the Revolutionary War? Would the word, absurd, come to mind?

All nations of this earth, including the (at least once upon a time) God-blessed United States of America, would do well to heed the perfect plan and powerful purpose of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—who is also the Father of Messiah Jesus, the Savior of both Jew and Gentile.

Says God of his Son (Messiah Jesus):

The following promise, one of many in Scripture, is soon to be fulfilled:

“The Lord says, ‘Shout and rejoice, O beautiful Jerusalem, for I am coming to live among you. Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on that day, and they, too, will be my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies sent me (Messiah Yeshua) to you. The land of Judah will be the Lord’s special possession in the holy land, and he will once again choose Jerusalem to be his own city. Be silent before the Lord, all humanity, for he is springing into action from his holy dwelling’” (Zechariah 2:10-13, parenthesis mine).

In that same vein, here is an excerpt from Eye of Prophecy article, Jerusalem … A City of Peace? Posted 12-27-14 (In italics):

Again, I must ask: Since when does the world family of nations (most practically represented by the United Nations) dictate to individual countries which city will be its Capital? Isn’t that the exclusive right of the nation itself? What if the United States decided that it would no longer recognize London as Great Britain’s Capital, but chooses Manchester instead? Or Marseille instead of Paris? St Petersburg instead of Moscow? Barcelona over Madrid? Most likely, those nations would immediately sever diplomatic relations with America.

But that’s exactly what our Executive Branch through the State Department has done with Jerusalem. They have refused to acknowledge Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital; choosing instead by official state policy to consider Jerusalem as a city unto itself. A city that, for all practical purposes, belongs to the world; or at least to the world’s three main religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. A city that is still up for grabs (literally), with its destiny to be determined by … by who knows what. By another failed peace plan, by another war, by unilateral declaration from the Palestinians that Jerusalem belongs to them, by Israel’s (rightful) annexation of the Temple Mount and all of East Jerusalem?

Even before President’s Trump scheduled speech this past Wednesday, Muslim and Palestinian leaders arrogantly issued (self-fulfilled) warnings that relocation of the US Embassy or even United States acknowledgment of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital would create chaos in the Middle East.

Reactions Prior to President’s Trump Announcement of December 6th

In an article by Steve Leibowitz posted on 12-3-17 in the online news source World Israel News, we read:

“There is a great deal of anticipation in Israel of US President Donald Trump’s announcement due Wednesday regarding Washington’s policy toward Jerusalem. Trump surprised Israelis leaders and pundits last week when he called for action on his campaign promise to relocate the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem … but aides in Washington and experts in Israel expect that Trump will, for a second time, reluctantly sign a waiver postponing the embassy move for yet another six months … All presidents since Bill Clinton have done so and the newest deadline is Monday (December 4th).”

Leibowitz went on to say: “Back in June, when he signed the last waiver, Trump was thought to have been influenced and pressured in discussions with moderate Arab leaders who warned that moving the embassy could end peace prospects while triggering Middle East turmoil…”

Indeed, whatever pressure President Trump may have yielded to six months ago (largely secretive to the public) has as least doubled in intensity and this time more publicly. As have stronger reactions by Israelis supporting potential US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and harsher criticism by those who believe Trump had reneged on his campaign promise to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem.

(President Trump Signing Waiver in June, 2017)

Several national leaders voiced precautionary warnings, such as French President Emmanuel Macron who, as contained in an Israel Hayom article posted 12-5-17, “expressed his concern over the possibility that the United States would unilaterally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.”

Comment: The United States (or any country) has the “unilateral” prerogative of recognizing the capital of any other country without need to first gain approval from even their allies.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel labeled any such US recognition, “counterproductive” one that would have far-reaching consequences for the Middle East. He said, “We have to make it clear to our allies that there is a limit to our solidarity.” Translated, it means if President Trump extends official recognition that Jerusalem is, indeed, Israel’s capital, then US diplomatic relations (solidarity) with Germany and other allies could be jeopardized.

A reminder: The Congress of the United States—our governing body empowered to enact laws and make resolutions (with the Executive Staff obligated to enforce those laws, short of a Presidential veto)—passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995. Which resolved that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel. There were seventeen reasons listed in that legislative act to support the resolution.

For more extensive details, see Eye of Prophecy article, Is President Trump Wavering on the Waiver? Posted 2-4-17.

Arab/Palestinian Tirade against President Trump’s Impending Decision

Quoting a brief article of 12-5-17 in USA Today entitled, Muslim states warn U.S. against moving embassy to Jerusalem:

“An umbrella organization of Muslim countries said Monday that President Trump’s possible recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital would constitute ‘naked aggression’ against the Arab and Muslim world. The ruling Palestinian party called for protests against such a move. The Organization for Islamic Cooperation issued a statement condemning an anticipated announcement by Trump, saying its 57 member states should sever ties with any state that transfers its embassy to Jerusalem.”

In an online World Israel News article posted on 12-3-17, the author Aryeh Savir quotes Palestinian spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh who said that “…east Jerusalem, with its holy places, is the start and the end for any solution that would save the region from destruction…”

Aryeh Savir goes on to say: “He (Abu Rudeineh) stressed that, ‘any just solution’ to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict should ensure that east Jerusalem is the capital of an independent Palestinian state, adding that ‘failure to reach a solution to the Palestinian issue will prolong the state of tension, chaos and violence that are prevalent in the region and the world.’ He claimed that the region is facing difficult choices and that these serious challenges ‘affect the essence of the entire Arab existence’” (my italics for emphasis).

As though, for example, the horrendously destructive six-year civil war in Syria began because of and would have ended by now were it not for the “failure to reach a solution to the Palestinian issue”. That is utter nonsense. Worse, it’s a blatant lie. The “Palestinian issue” has nothing whatsoever to do with any ongoing conflict in the Middle East outside of Israel.

(One of Several Syrian Cities That Lie In Ruins, Estimated 400,000 Combatants and Civilians Killed in Syrian Civil War Thus Far … See Eye of Prophecy Article, There’s No Place Like Homs, posted 3-12-16)

It’s crystal clear what he means by the italicized part of his statement. Which is: the essence of the entire Arab existence is predicated on the elimination of the entire Jewish existence.

If ever there was a self-fulfilling prediction, the warning issued by Abu Rudeineh is exactly that. With the not so subtle implication that it will be the Palestinians who will not only continue the current “knife intifada” that began in October, 2015; but that Palestinian terrorism (and Muslim terrorism in general) will intensify against Israel, which has continued virtually unabated over the past few decades, and certainly long before any recent talk of relocating the US Embassy to Jerusalem or recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The ruling terrorist body of the Gaza Strip, Hamas, came right out and said so, stating that US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel would, “renew the Jerusalem intifada.” And Palestinian Authority advisor, Mahmoud Habash (speaking for PA President Mahmoud Abbas) boasted, “The world will pay the price.”

Seriously? The only peoples/nations who will ultimately pay a heavy price are those who hate and harm Israel. If they think otherwise, they can take it up with the true and living God who declared: “…Anyone who harms you (Jerusalem … Israel) harms my most precious possession. I will raise my fist to crush them…” (Zechariah 2:8-9, parenthesis mine).

PLO Executive Committee Member Hanan Ashrawi accused President Trump of, “…willfully committing an act of the utmost folly which is not only illegal (it is certainly not illegal and I would be delighted to debate that point with Ms. Ashrawi whenever she’s ready!), but also designed to inflame religious and spiritual sentiments and raise the specter of sectarianism and religious strife (parenthesis mine).”

PLO Secretary General Saeb Erekat said that if the United States recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, it will, “promote international anarchy.” He went on to say: “Jerusalem is the social, political, cultural, religious and economic heart of Palestine … the heart of the Arab world. It is a significant symbol of our region and its fate is key to any efforts leading to a peaceful and stable region.”

“Jerusalem … heart of the Arab world?” With that statement, Saeb Erekat slammed Islam’s (most) holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. However, most Arabs and Muslims hate the Jews and Israel so much, they will undoubtedly overlook Erekat’s blunder (intentional or unintentional) of relegating Mecca far behind Jerusalem as “the heart of the Arab world.”

With regard to the hastily scheduled meetings of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and emergency session of another large Muslim group of nations (The Arab League), Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs Riyad al-Malki said concerning any announced decision by President Trump: “The decisions made will be compatible with the size and importance of Jerusalem, being the capital of the Palestinian state and the holiest of holies.”

Unimaginable! By referring to the “holiest of holies” what Malki is actually identifying and specifying is the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Temple Mount, which is an alleged holy site for Muslim Arabs and the central overriding issue concerning the status of Jerusalem. Moreover, he uses the term (holy of holies) that is Biblically and historically confined to and reserved for one thing only: The inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle and subsequently the Jewish Temples that originally housed the Ark of the Covenant.

Recall from the earlier quote of Palestinian Nabil Abu Rudeineh, he employed the term “east Jerusalem, with its holy places.” He, too, was referring to the Al-Aqsa Mosque without actually naming it in order to give the impression that there are many Muslim “holy places” in Jerusalem. Furthermore, Riyad Malki had the gall to say, “Jerusalem, being the capital of the Palestinian State.”

A state that will never come into existence if Arabs keep insisting that Jerusalem or even east Jerusalem is its capital.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque is no more holy to the true and living God than is the mosque in Mecca, Medina, or (for that matter) any mosque in the world; because the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is NOT Allah or the same as any other so-called god. The God of the Bible is light-years different than Allah, not only in name but in so many other areas … not the least of which are his attributes and fulfilled prophecy. There is simply no way that Allah is merely another name for God (Yahweh-“I AM”) or Elohim or El Shaddai, or any other name of the Lord in Scripture. Allah was the moon-god, one of many Arabic gods, selected by Muhammad to replace as a counterfeit copy the God of Judaism and Christianity. It was monotheistic plagiarism at its worst, as was capriciously choosing the Biblical angel Gabriel as the one who supposedly gave Muhammad his so-called revelations.

Many things could be said in response to these absurd allegations regarding the purported prominence of (multiple) Islamic holy places in Jerusalem let alone the holiest of holies, but that would take an entire article or two. Instead, let’s look at some excerpts from Eye of Prophecy article, Myth of Al-Aqsa Mosque (posted 4-16-16) in italics:

The myth is in the historical and contemporary significance this mosque bears regarding Muslim claims to Temple Mount and to Jerusalem … indeed, to all of Israel. Was the legend that the Prophet Mohammed travelled from Mecca to Jerusalem in one night, then ascended to heaven from the Noble Sanctuary, fact or fiction? Whether Mohammed’s mysterious trip can be considered credible depends heavily on identifying Al Aqsa Mosque as the site (mosque) of his supposed visit. Should the Noble Sanctuary be classified a sacred Muslim shrine at all, let alone the third holiest site of Islam?

Distinguishing between fact and fiction is of vital importance because it is Temple Mount in Jerusalem that is the very heart and soul of Israel and the Jewish people. The status of Temple Mount is the core of the current conflict (dispute) between Jew and Arab in Israel; although there are certainly other reasons, not the least of which is the ancient animosity between the two peoples.

Quoting Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu:

“Our generation had a great privilege—we saw the words of the prophet come true. We saw the rise of Zion, the return of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel, the ingathering of exiles and our return to Jerusalem. We will make sure Jerusalem’s golden light will shine on our people, and spread the light of Jerusalem to the whole world. We will protect Jerusalem, because Israel without Jerusalem is like a body without a heart … Our heart will never be divided again.”

Benjamin echoed the prophetic promise of God through Isaiah:

“Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you. Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you. All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance. Look and see, for everyone is coming home! Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home” (Isaiah 60:1-4).

Then later in that article:

…Initially Islamic scholars firmly believed that the farthest mosque was a metaphor, signifying some unknown place between heaven and earth, not a specific physical location. In his earliest biography, Muslim historians depict Mohammed’s passage to heaven as a spiritual one only; additionally, this journey (in spirit) was directly from Mecca to heaven, not from Mecca to Jerusalem, then to heaven. Apparently, in the effort to make Mohammed’s mystical travels more plausible, Muslim historians changed the story to that of a physical pilgrimage to the farthest mosque or the “remote mosque” which they later decided should be in Jerusalem, that didn’t have a mosque until some 70-80 years afterward—what is now called the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Even more contradictory is the fact that the Koran refers to Israel as the adna al-ard, translated in English as the “closest land.” If Muslim tradition holds that Mohammed was taken to the farthest mosque (Al-Aqsa) or land (wherever that might have been), then how could that have been Jerusalem (Israel), which they claim is the nearest land?

The historians should have stuck with their initial interpretation, that Mohammed’s imaginative journey was spiritual only. To change it to a physical occurrence is to further reduce it to nothing more than a myth, what with the conflicting timelines and contradictory legend (language) of nearest (Israel) and farthest (mosque in Jerusalem) places where this event supposedly occurred.

There’s even more. Jerusalem, itself, is NEVER mentioned in the Koran … not once. Whereas, Jerusalem is referenced 669 times in the Bible and Zion (Jerusalem) 154 times. This is nothing short of an insurmountable obstacle to Muslim statements that not only Temple Mount, but all of Jerusalem belongs to them….

The British understood how little significance Arabs placed on Jerusalem when they did not include the city as part of assigned Arab territories preceding the Balfour Declaration of 1917 … The historical record is unmistakable: It’s not that the Arabs desperately wanted Jerusalem or control of Temple Mount (not until 1967). In fact, they had marginal interest in Jerusalem, and did little to maintain or improve the city’s infrastructure for hundreds of years.

Here is a quote from British negotiator, Henry McMahon, when Great Britain chose not to include Jerusalem as part of Arab controlled regions in the 1917 partition of Israel between Jews and Arabs: “…there was no place … of sufficient importance … further south of Damascus to which the Arabs attached vital importance.”

It is not question of even one square foot of land on Temple Mount or anywhere else in Israel. It is a question of whether Palestinian Arabs and Muslim nations will ever recognize the sovereign state of Israel and the right of Jews to live in their ancient land, given to them by God himself. A land they occupied (in the positive connotation of the word) long before the Arabs, hundreds of years before Mohammed started the religion of Islam.

Now with a bit of a literary drum roll (instead of inserting a website link of an actual audio drum roll!), let’s look at:

President Trump’s Decision Regarding the US Embassy and Jerusalem

Obviously today’s posting is on a Saturday (as are all Eye of Prophecy articles), three days after President Trump’s announcement. Perhaps you’ve already heard or read about his decision, which pretty much was a foregone conclusion. All Eye of Prophecy articles are placed in one of four categories: Prophecy in General, The Antichrist, The Rapture, and Current Events (the category of this week’s article). This is the first article for which I couldn’t finish even the rough draft until the current event in question became “current!”

On December 6th, United States President Donald Trump made an announcement that the whole world was waiting for.

Said Trump: “After more than two decades of waivers, we are no closer to a lasting peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. It would be folly to assume that repeating the exact same formula would now produce a different or better result. Therefore, I have determined that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.”

His dramatic declaration was anticipated, yet it was nevertheless stunning and long overdue.

Echoing the reasons given by the US Congress when they passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act in 1995, President Trump stated: “Today, Jerusalem is the seat of the modern Israeli government. It is the home of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, as well as the Israeli Supreme Court. It is the location of the official residences of the Prime Minister and the President. It is the headquarters of many government ministries … Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish people established in ancient times. Today, Jerusalem is the seat of Israel’s government. Today, we finally acknowledged the obvious, that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. This is nothing more than a recognition of realty. It is also the right thing to do.”

Although President Trump said that he would direct the State Department to begin preparations to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem, he gave no timetable for this relocation. And he once again signed the Waiver, which means that the embassy won’t be moved for at least six more months.

Borrowing the famous words of Astronaut Neil Armstrong upon the first moon landing in 1969, recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was, “one giant leap for mankind.” But, rephrasing and reversing the first part of Armstrong’s statement, it was also one small step backwards. Only if President Trump doesn’t sign the next waiver (or the next, or the next), will the verbal recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital shift from symbolic to substance (physical reality).

For now, those of us who love and support Israel can be grateful that the United States Executive Branch of our government has upheld the US Congressional decision to officially acknowledge the Israelis’ Biblical, historical, national, and legal right to choose Jerusalem as their eternal capital.

It’s clear for many reasons that God’s hand was in this. Not the least of which was President’s Trump announcement that came exactly 70 years (Jewish calendar) after the UN Resolution of 1947 declaring Israel’s right to statehood … the 17th of (the month of) Kislev, which was November 29th, 1947 on the Gregorian calendar.

Amazing!

As expected after President’s Trump proclamation, a plethora of hate-filled responses flowed from Arab Muslims. A spokesman for Hamas said that Trump’s decision, “opens the gates of hell.” Using their own metaphor, the Palestinians will apparently pass through those gates. By the time this week’s article is actually posted or perhaps a few days afterward, the Palestinians may raise hell. They’ve already called for three “days of rage.”

Things to Ponder

Just when we think that the world’s focus on and angst over Jerusalem couldn’t increase in frequency and fullness, that’s exactly what it has done. Of all the final generational (our generation) events, the most significant is what’s happening to, within, and around Jerusalem and Israel. In several end-times prophecies, that’s precisely what Scripture said would take place. For example, Ezekiel is told to prophesy against Edom, which was a mortal enemy of the Jews and which also represents those nations in the last days that come against Israel—particularly the Arabic/Muslim countries that surround Israel in today’s world.

Read with me these ancient words that prophetically portray what is happening in our generation:

“For you (Edom) said, ‘The lands of Israel and Judah will be ours. We will take possession of them. What do we care that the Lord is there!’ Therefore, as surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I will pay back your angry deeds with my own. I will punish you for all your acts of anger, envy, and hatred. And I will make myself known to Israel by what I do to you. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have heard every contemptuous word you spoke against the mountains of Israel…” (Ezekiel 35:10-12).

Just as the Lord said: Anger, envy, and hatred is an absolutely accurate account of contemporary Muslims and many non-Muslims toward Jews and Israel.

Listen to this startling passage concerning God’s ultimate sovereignty over the boundaries of the world’s countries.

“When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of man, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel. For the Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob (Israel) is the allotment of His inheritance … He encircled him (Jacob or Israel), He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of his eye” (Deuteronomy 32:8-10, NASB, parenthesis mine, italics for emphasis).

*Note: The italicized words in the Complete Jewish Bible are translated, “…according to Israel’s population.” This means that God—in his infinite wisdom, plan, and fairness—selected a very small part of the earth (Israel) for the Jews, based on what he knew would be a comparative proportion of Israel’s population to the rest of the world. And yet there are hundreds of millions of Muslims and hundreds million more people the world over who detest the idea of the tiny nation of Israel (especially its capital Jerusalem) belonging to the Jews.

(This Is The Only Way to Find Israel on a World Map … Israel Is Even Difficult to Spot on a Map of Just the Middle East)

Says the Lord: “On the holy mountain stands the city founded by the Lord. He loves the city of Jerusalem more than any other city in Israel. O city of God, what glorious things are said of you!” (Psalm 87:1-3).

If the Lord loves Jerusalem more than any city in Israel, then it’s a sure thing that he loves Jerusalem more than any city on earth.

Yet, concerning each person on earth, God loves everyone equally and wants everyone to be saved by believing and receiving his only Son, Messiah Yeshua (Jesus). That certainly includes Palestinians.

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

“God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we (all those who believe and receive Jesus as personal Savior) might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins” (I John 4:9-10, parenthesis mine).

With the Jewish Apostle Paul, I earnestly exclaim: “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, ‘It is through faith that a righteous person has life’” (Romans 1:16-17, quoting Habakkuk 2:4).

It’s not enough for Arab and Islamic non-Arab political, military, and religious leaders such as Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei to repeatedly threatened Israel with extinction. Or for Palestinians to continuously murder and maim Jews at the incitement of their leaders and with the active or passive approval of mainstream Palestinians.

This ancient irrational Arabic hatred (going back nearly 3,800 years) and Muslim loathing (when Muhammad invented Islam some 1,400 years ago) of the Jews has no geographical, political, social, or educational boundaries. It also includes—indeed, is even led by—Islamic academia and intelligentsia.

In the online Prophecy News Watch, the title of an article posted on November 14, 2017 reads: Islamic Scholars Gather To Discuss Destroying Israel. It begins with:

“A large group of Islamic leaders recently held a conference that the liberal press has quietly buried. Its theme was the total destruction of Israel. The City of Beirut, Lebanon played host to the second meeting of a group that calls itself the International Union of Resistance Scholars… comprised of approximately 700 Islamic scholars hailing from 80 countries … and their stated goal to wipe Israel off the map forever.”

The article contains a couple of quotes from Muslim spokesmen at the conference including an excerpt from a letter written to/for the conference by Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.

I decided to also look up this information directly from the primary online source that published a review of this conference. It can be found on an Iranian news site, en.mehrnews.com, which is an affiliate of Tehran, Iran’s main newspaper. The title of that article in English posted on the same day of the conference (11-1-17): 2nd meeting of Intl. Union of Resistance Scholars kicks off.

Here is a more complete excerpt from Khamenei’s letter to the conference: “…the heavy and unforgettable responsibility for Palestine rests upon the shoulders of the entire Muslim world… I recommend that all individuals, who feel the importance of this great responsibility, continue to fight against the usurping Zionist regime using diversified tactics.”

It’s all too abhorrently clear: what Khamenei means by diversified is anything and everything (whatever it takes) to rid the world of Israel and the Jews.

(Assembly of the “Resistance Scholars” in Beirut … Just as Menacing and Deadly as Any Physical Attacks on Jews)

The Iranian article states, “The conference is being held under the banner of ‘True Promise: Palestine between Balfour Declaration and Divine Promise,’ gathering together religious clerics who highlight the role of Palestine in the World of Islam and voice their readiness to side with the Palestinian nation against the Israeli regime and its allies in and out of the region.” (That includes the United States, the most obvious ally of Israel).

A Brief Commentary: The role of Palestine in the World of Islam is merely another excuse for Islam to seek Israel’s annihilation. If there was no such thing as Palestinians or Palestine, Muslims would find another “cause” or reason to drive the Jews into the sea and eliminate the sovereign state of Israel from the face of the map.

Which begs the question: Is there, in fact, any such thing as a Palestinian or Palestine? Stay tuned.

Another quote in the Iranian news article came at the opening of the conference from its chairman, one of the leaders of the Resistance Scholars Union, Sunni Sheikh Maher Hammoud, who said: “…the Israelis believe in the certainty of their collapse more than the Muslims.”

Which is a blatant lie, but one that is believed (or at least hoped for) by Muslims all over the Middle East. I have read hundreds of articles by Israeli correspondents. I have listened to and read hundreds of quotes from Israel’s religious, military, educational, and political leaders, not the least of which is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Although Israel faces the same kind of internal disagreements that any democracy experiences, by and large they are optimistically united when it comes to the matter of Israel’s survival. But also Israel’s marvelous achievements and their sharing of those accomplishments with the world in the fields of medicine, education, agriculture, computer technology, transportation, disaster relief, and a host of other modern-day advances.

Another report on this conference comes from writer Rachel Frommer as posted in the online site, (Washington) Free Beacon. Her article entitled, Islamic Scholars Gather to Discuss Destroying Israel, posted on 11-3-17, includes information that the Lebanese (terrorist group) Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, attended the conference; as did Ismail Haniyeh, a senior leader of the Gaza terrorist organization, Hamas.

Question: Are Nasrallah and Haniyeh scholars? Evidently they are, or they wouldn’t have been invited by the International Union of Resistance Scholars, would they?!

It’s also crystal clear that all of the “scholars” study one thing above all else. How to destroy Israel … the sooner the better.

How Soon is Sooner?

As I had learned some time ago, brought to recall by part of the aforementioned Prophecy News Watch article, we read:

“The year 2022 has become an obsession over the past half-decade for Islamic leaders. Hassan Rahimpour Azghadi of Iran’s Supreme Court for the Revolution declared in 2015 that Israel would be destroyed in 2022. In that same year, another Iranian cleric published a book that drew from the occult and calculations based on the Koran to predict Israel’s defeat and annihilation in the year 2022. The Islamic State, not to be left out, has also called for the war to be brought to Israel in 2022.”

What’s that saying? Be careful what you wish for…

Scripture predicts that nations hostile to Israel will unite together not once but twice in the last days (during the Tribulation). God himself will arrange it! The Lord will allow these arrogant nations and peoples to try to fulfill their diabolical desire to finish Hitler’s devious and detestable “final solution” for the Jews. Only this time the final solution (potion) will be swallowed by Israel’s enemies. Says the Sovereign Lord:

“Just as you swallowed up my people on my holy mountain, so you and the surrounding nations will swallow the punishment I pour out on you. Yes, all you nations will drink and stagger and disappear from history” (Obadiah 1:16).

First, will be the Gog/Magog alliance, consisting of Russia and several diehard Muslim nations like Iran and Turkey and Libya. Says the Lord, “I will turn you around and drive you toward the mountains of Israel, bringing you from the distant north… You and your army and your allies will all die on the mountains … You will fall in the open fields … In this way, I will make known my holy name among my people of Israel. I will not let anyone bring shame on it. And the nations, too, will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. That day of judgment will come, says the Sovereign Lord. Everything will happen just as I have declared it” (Ezekiel 39:2-8).

As documented in previous Eye of Prophecy articles concerning the Gog/Magog invasion, I’m convinced this attack will take place within the first two years of the Tribulation.

God is an equal opportunity God, regarding both salvation and judgment. In the last part of the Tribulation, he also will grant Antichrist Nero and his ten-nation confederation the chance (wish) to conquer Israel.

Read with me: “At the time of those events, says the Lord, when I restore the prosperity of Judah and Jerusalem (which began and has increased exponentially since 1948), I will gather the armies of the world into the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will judge them for harming my people, my special possession, for scattering my people among the nations, and for dividing up my land” (Joel 3:1-2, parenthesis mine).

Then later in that chapter: “Let the nations be called to arms. Let them march to the valley of Jehoshaphat. There, I the Lord, will sit to pronounce judgment on them all” (Verse 12).

The valley of Jehoshaphat is another designation of the valley of Megiddo, where the final battle of Armageddon will take place (Revelation 16:16).

And, “Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision. There the day of the Lord will soon arrive” (Joel 3:14).

Here’s another prophecy about the nations of today’s world: “I will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger when they send their armies to besiege Jerusalem and Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock. All the nations will gather against it to try to move it, but they will only hurt themselves” (Zechariah 12:2-3).

“For on that day I will begin to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem” (Verse 9).

Several times in Old Testament and New Testament prophecy we see that these last days events will happen “soon” or “soon arrive” as we just read in Joel. Jesus, himself, said in the last chapter of the Bible, “Look, I am coming soon…” (Revelation 22:12).

Your first impulse might be: “How can that be when Joel’s prophecy was written so long ago (some 2,800 years); or Zechariah’s about 2,500 years ago; or Jesus’s words spoken nearly 2,000 years ago?”

Answer: Often Scripture will identify end times events with the phrase, “Day of the Lord” or, “in those days,” or “on that day.” When the term “soon” is connected to “that day” or something similar, it is in the collective context of all Biblical last day’s prophecies. Specifically, from the time they begin to unfold during the “birth pains” as described by Messiah Jesus; then intensify, culminating at the end of the final (Omega) generation specified by Jesus. With the Day of the Lord beginning with the Rapture of believers from the earth, followed soon by the Great Tribulation. Soon means abruptly, and is also equivalent to and expressed by what Jesus said:

In other words, soon applies to the accumulative peak (fulfillment) of end-times prophetic events in the context of the final generation specified by Jesus. It does not necessarily mean “just around the corner” in terms of the lapse of time from when the predictions were made.

When the Lord gave the amazingly detailed prophecy to Ezekiel concerning the Gog/Magog invasion of Israel, he announces that it will be a long time in coming. God declares in the form of a warning and also a taunting challenge for Gog and his allies to be ready when God says it’s time for him to, “…turn you around and put hooks in your jaws to lead you out with your whole army…” (Ezekiel 38:4).

It’s like saying to someone who is so ready they can hardly stand it, “Are you ready?”

Then get on with it.

“Get ready; be prepared! Keep all the armies around you mobilized, and take command of them. A long time from now you will be called into action. In the distant future you will sweep down on the land of Israel, which will be enjoying peace after recovering from war and after its people have returned from many lands to the mountains of Israel. You and all your allies—a vast and awesome army—will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud” (Ezekiel 38:7-9).

Are they ready in our generation? You bet they are. In just the last 18 months or so, both Russia and Iran have established military bases in Syria. And Turkey (by today’s small world standards) is geographically a stone’s throw away from Israel. All three nations have missiles that can easily reach Israel. Just last week, President Vladimir Putin of Russia, President Hassan Rouhani of Iran, and President Erdogan of Turkey met in Syria with its President Bashar al-Assad. Purpose of which was to essentially declare victory over the rebel fighters (supported by the United States) who have waged a war of independence from Assad for several years now.

(Russian Fighter Jets and Helicopter Stationed at Hemeimeem Air Base in Syria)

However, Scripture is clear: It is the Lord who will decide when to bring the two massive coalitions against Israel (Gog/Magog and then Antichrist and his confederacy). These two campaigns are part of God’s end-times plan for the human race. Which is to establish the Jews in Israel forever in the mighty Kingdom of God on earth with Jewish and Gentile believers alike reigning and ruling with Messiah Jesus.

What if God allows the Gog/Magog league or the Antichrist coalition to begin their respective campaigns against Israel in 2022 or thereabouts? Or sooner than that?! We are near the end of the final generation as indicated in several Eye of Prophecy articles, the most recent of which was Just How Imminent is Messiah’s Imminent Return? Posted 11-18-17.

The Need to Define Terms

Let’s return to the conference of the International Union of Resistance Scholars. What is it they are resisting, which is the reason for their union? The answer is glaringly gruesome: They are denying the very existence of the sovereign State of Israel. They are resisting the notion of a single Jew living in Israel.

They seldom refer to Israel as Israel. It’s almost always: Palestine. Nor do they refer to Arabs living in “Palestine” as Arabs. They are Palestinians. They don’t even like to call Arab citizens of Israel (some 1.8 million of them) by the term that precisely fits them and their citizenship rights in Israel … Israeli Arabs. Instead these scholars and much of the Islamic world also refer to Israeli Arabs as Palestinians.

That is the rub. Therein is the problem. It is a matter of semantics. It is an issue of definitions.

Although many people don’t want to be bothered with semantics (even using the sometimes cop-out phrase of, “it’s just a matter of semantics” to throttle any further discussion), it’s sometimes necessary to define certain terms. Otherwise people and groups with different views or agendas can apply their own meaning to terms that can be ambiguous unless defined. For example, nearly all contracts (insurance policies, lease agreements, purchase agreements, warranties, loans) will define terms within and parties to the contract.

Webster’s definition of definition is: “a word or phrase expressing the essential nature of a person or thing.” (Note: since some nouns in particular—as opposed to adjectives or adverbs which have synonyms—merit definition, I would add “places” to people and things). Also, definition is: “the action or the power of describing, explaining, or making definite and clear.”

Are you, by definition, an American citizen—either born in the United States or through naturalized citizenship? If you are, it’s because the United States of America has been geographically defined by the borders of the forty-eight contiguous (actual contact along established boundaries) Continental States. Plus, the addition of two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii, which received statehood status in January and August, 1959, respectively … our 49th and 50th states. Both of these states were American territories (like many of the continental states were at one time), with Hawaii initially annexed by the United States and Alaska originally purchased (1867) from Russia.

Whether British, French, German, Canadian, Brazilian, Norwegian, Australian, or Chinese, virtually all citizens of any nation in the world are acknowledged as such because their country is defined and recognized by established geographical borders. Many indigenous ethnic groups have split from a larger country in the 20th & 21st centuries, resulting in an explosion of smaller countries or city-states all over the world. Nevertheless, all of them have some system of government that defines citizen membership requirements.

(An Example of an Island Country: Nauru Became an Independent Nation in 1968, Formerly A German Colony, Then Under Trusteeship of Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. Population of Nauru Through 2016–10,100, Smaller Than Thousands of Cities in the World)

(Nauru, a Polynesian Island in the Pacific. On a Personal Note, One of 173 Nations That Have Visited Eye of Prophecy Website To Date)

Let’s pause here to examine one of the two most definitive statements ever made in the history of the world. The other one is: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). It is a declaration that leaves no doubt whatsoever as to who and what is the source of redemption for the human race. An unambiguous authoritative assertion that—depending on whether we believe and receive the one who defined in no uncertain terms who and what he is—will determine the eternal destiny of every person on earth.

Messiah Jesus stated: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

He begins by declaring that, “I am…” Thus, defining exactly who he was, is, and always will be: The Son of God and God the Son. “I AM” is the very name of God, the name that he first uttered during the miracle of the burning bush.

“God replied to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.’ God also said to Moses, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations” (Exodus 3:14-15).

Read with me Jesus’s astonishing response to the religious leaders of Israel:

“Your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming, He saw it and was glad.

“The people said, ‘You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?’

“Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM!’” (John 8:56-58).

Jesus declared (defined) himself as: The (only) Way—that anyone can come to God the Father for salvation and forgiveness of sin. Jesus is Truth—absolute, universal, objective truth as opposed to subjective relative truth that says, “I’ll determine what is true (for me).” Jesus is Life itself—he gives (created) us life on this earth and gives us life again in heaven; if we only will believe and receive him as our Personal Savior.

Jesus is the only definitive Way to God, Truth of/from God, and Everlasting Life with God.

Palestine and Palestinians?

If we’re going to grasp the essence of the Middle East conflict between Jew and Arab and who actually has Biblical (which is really the only authority needed) but also man-made national rights to the land of Israel, then it is crucial that we define Palestine and Palestinian.

Who is a Palestinian?

Answer: No one, not really. There is no such thing as a Palestinian. I realize that practically the whole world (including me) uses that designation to refer to the Arabs living in (occupying) the West Bank—a term invented not so long ago to identify that part of Israel called Judea/Samaria—or to Arabs living in the Gaza. But we use the term only out of necessity; to distinguish between citizens of Israel (Jews and Israeli Arabs) and non-citizens of Israel. If someone did use the term Palestinian (before 1948), they were invariably identifying the Jews, not the Arabs.

What is Palestine?

Answer: there is no such thing as Palestine, not really. Certainly not after May 14, 1948 when Israel became a Sovereign State, less than six months after the United Nations Resolution granted statehood rights to the Jews, and also to the Arabs who flatly rejected any idea of a state alongside a Jewish state. Instead, five Arab nations attacked Israel the very next day, confident that they would kill infant Israel in its national crib.

Actually, a better question would be: Where is Palestine? With an equally legitimate response: Nowhere. Even when it was called Palestine, it was not a country or a nation. At the most, it was a territory with disputed borders. Nor was there or has there ever been a Palestinian language. Hebrew, yes. Arabic, yes. But no one speaks Palestinian. Along with established borders, it is language that most plainly defines nations and ethnic groups (such as Arabs in Israel) within nations.

It’s one thing for the White House to pull out all the stops in this misguided and uniformed effort to create a Palestinian State. It’s quite another to base this objective on the absolutely groundless and erroneous (false) premise that Israelis are “occupying” the West Bank which includes East Jerusalem. I repeat for emphasis: Jewish settlements in the West Bank are not occupation of land that doesn’t belong to them. In fact, it’s just the opposite: the land does belong to them, thus, if anyone is (wrongfully) occupying the land, it’s the Palestinians.

The term “occupation” has been grammatically and politically reversed in its meaning, because that is the only way for those opposed to Israel’s historically rightful claim to the land to justify their assertion that the Palestinian Arabs have exclusive ownership rights.

The Israeli government continues to recognize the right of Palestinian Arabs to build houses and apartments in East Jerusalem which, in fact, have been legally purchased by and deeded to them. But the Palestinians do not acknowledge, whatsoever, the same right for Jews to build on land that they have purchased; simply because this land is within the parameters of the so-called West Bank. In fact, there is no such thing as a national or state boundary without a nation or state to set those boundaries and neighboring nations to agree on where those boundaries are set. The only TRUE and LEGAL boundaries of Israel are between Israel and surrounding nations (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt), not the West Bank or Gaza.

But as periodically mentioned in past Eye of Prophecy articles, it’s not just all of East Jerusalem (there is no legal distinction between West and East Jerusalem) that the Arabs want; it’s all of Jerusalem, all of Israel that they lay claim to….

Then later in that article:

But it’s more, much more, than international recognition of Israel’s rights to what was once called Palestine, which was long before that called Israel. Had not one country on earth, including the United States of America, acknowledged the right of Jews already living in Israel and the right of Jews all over the world to return to Israel, the fact remains that the true and living God promised the land of Israel (borders of which were much broader than currently exists) to the Jews—the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That is reason enough!

Next are a couple of excerpts from a recent article (11-20-17) written by Jean Patrick Grumberg, posted in the online op-ed source of Gatestone Institute. Much of what he wrote has been covered in prior Eye of Prophecy articles. The reason that this author (and a few others like him) and I are on the same page is because we’ve studied extensively the realdefinable history of the Middle East. The main difference is that my articles are in the context of Scripture, as the Bible is the definitive God-breathed source of humanity’s history pertaining to God’s plans for Israel and Gentile nations.

The all-encompassing purpose for and existence of Eye of Prophecy website is to give a clear witness for Messiah Jesus who is the essence of Biblical prophecy, its proclamations and predictions. Within that purpose, to correlate proclamations and prophecies to each other in the whole context and counsel of Scripture, history, and current events. And, when necessary, to clarify and even correct misunderstandings or misapplication of certain prophecies and terms. This is just another way of defining people, places, events, and the enduring truths and principles found in Scripture.

(Jesus Is The Living Word of God)

Wrote Grumberg: “All people born in the British Mandatory Palestine between 1923-1948 had “Palestine” stamped on their passports at the time. (Thereafter and to this date the majority of “Palestinians” have Jordanian passports). But when they were called Palestinians, the Arabs were offended. They complained: ‘We are not Palestinians, we are Arabs. The Palestinians are the Jews’” (parenthesis mine).

Grumberg quotes Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Zuheir Mohsen who articulated in 1977: “The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality, today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians, and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct Palestinian people to oppose Zionism.”

*Note: I couldn’t have said it better myself, let alone relay this information from a prominent Muslim Arab (“Palestinian”) leader. Since this leader spoke those words in 1977, that definitive statement on Palestine and Palestinians was subsequently suppressed by PLO founder Yasser Arafat and now by the Palestinian Authority (name change from the PLO) President Mahmoud Abbas. They and other leaders of the PA and the Arabs living in the West Bank and Gaza conspicuously refer to themselves as Palestinians. This to give the impression that their “cause” is all about Palestine and Palestinians who allegedly are the only lawful residents of a nation that should never have been called Israel, and the Jews who are illegitimate “settlers.”

Jean Patrick Grumberg goes on to say: “Prior to the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, there were no ‘Palestinians.’”

Actually, Arabs didn’t begin to refer to themselves as Palestinians on a regular basis and for ulterior motives until the PLO was established in 1964; even more so after the Six-Day War of 1967 and the following cease-fire orchestrated primarily by the United States and western nations.

Here is another excerpt concerning the prevailing Israeli Arab view on a Palestinian State, from Eye of Prophecy Article: A Palestinian State (No, Say Many Arabs). Published 1-11-14 (still true today):

And as Palestinian journalist, Khaled Abu Toameh writes in his article for Gatestone Institute, “It was hard this week to find even one Israeli Arab who publicly supported the proposal.” Khaled goes on to say, “Arab Knesset members … do not want to wake up in the morning and discover that they are citizens of a Palestinian state. It is much easier for them to accuse Israel of racism than to admit that they do not want to be part of a Palestinian state.”

At face value that seems and sounds incredible—that Palestinians wouldn’t want to be governed by their own people. But after further review, it’s all too practical and easy to grasp. Pretty much ever since Israel became a nation, and especially since 1967 when hundreds of thousands more Arabs suddenly became citizens of Israel, those Israeli Arabs have been far better off than their Palestinian brothers living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Although there’s still a lot of hostility emanating from Israeli Arabs toward Israel, they understand that Israeli citizenship affords them much more freedom, democracy, a higher standard of living, movement throughout Israel, more places to shop for and buy the things they want and need; in short, a better way of life. The last thing they want is an abruptly changed life in a Palestinian State, controlled by a Palestinian government that could just as quickly take away many of the privileges they currently enjoy as Israeli citizens.

The Palestinian journalist goes on to say, “The Palestinians have their own parliament in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. But this parliament, known as the Palestinian Legislative Council, has been paralyzed since Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007. In most Arab countries, parliament members who dare to criticize their rulers often find themselves sitting at home or behind bars.” And I might add to Khaled’s astute observations: An Israeli Arab Knesset member is free to criticize his/her own government (and often does) without fear of any reprisal. They can return to their home after a hard day at the Knesset, and start all over again the following morning.

(Ahmed Tibi, Recently Slammed Israel at the United Nations Regarding Some Nations Attending the 70th Anniversary Of UN Resolution of Nov. 29th, 1947, Granting Israel Statehood Rights. And He Is an Arab Member of the Israeli Knesset no less!)

Concerning Jewish “settlements” in Israel, here is an excerpt from Eye of Prophecy article, United Nations Downsizing of Israel (Resolution 2334). Posted 1-7-17. This reprehensible resolution was drafted by several Arab/Muslim nations and nations hostile toward Israel.

In gleeful reaction to Resolution 2334, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas presumptuously said, “We are calling for 2017 to be the year of international recognition of the State of Palestine because more recognitions will strengthen the possibility of achieving a two-state solution and real peace.”

As though Palestine was already a state, Abbas continued, “I say to you that settlements on the land of the occupied State of Palestine are on their way out. We secured a historic UN Security Council resolution, which said that any changes since 1967 to the demographic composition or land of the State of Palestine including East Jerusalem are unacceptable.”

By prematurely referring to Palestine as a state, which has never legally or legislatively or nationally existed in the first place … an impression is made on both the informed and uninformed that Jews don’t belong anywhere in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. When, in fact, much of the land in Judea and Samaria on which some 600,000 Jews reside was purchased by the Jews … even land won from the Arabs in the Six-Day War.

Does the United States and the United Nations actually believe that any portion of land within the sovereign borders of any nation on earth could be (illegally) “occupied” by citizens of that country? With the resulting conclusion that no citizen of that country has any right to purchase and own land in select areas of their nation that are indwelt mostly by a certain ethnic group of people….

A slight exception to what I just said would be Native American Reservations or Tribal Lands in the United States. But in that case, the United States intentionally set aside certain areas of land just for the Indians. Even so, some 1.5 of the 2.5 million Native Americans in this country live outside of the Reservations … just like Israel has permitted Arabs (some 1.8 million to date) to become citizens of Israel. But that doesn’t give the Palestinian Arabs who don’t want to be citizens of Israel the right to deny living quarters to Jews in “Palestinian territory” that is not an official state or nation.

I (in a few previous Eye of Prophecy articles) and several others have said it before, but it needs to be said again and again, else the world at large will never grasp the true hidden agenda of the Palestinians in particular and Islam in general.

That is: The so-called Jewish “settlement occupation” is neither (1) illegal, nor, (2) the main obstacle to peace in Israel. Nor is a Palestinian State the solution. Certainly not one that is unilaterally imposed on Israelis with little or no input from them, especially relating to their national security and survival. Which means that imposition of the pre-1967 truce boundaries (lines) cannot be accepted by Israel. Some concessions could be made (through negotiation), but at least two demands cannot be met: (1) Jerusalem as a divided capital, or (2) Israeli departure from the Golan Heights.

(Note How Much of Israel The Arab Palestinians Occupy in the West Bank and Gaza. There Are Also Many Arab Community Settlements Outside of the West Bank Throughout Israel. There are no Jews Allowed to Live in Gaza & the Palestinians Far Outnumber the Jews in the West Bank, Yet the Arabs Want All Jews Removed from the West Bank)

In conclusion, here is an excerpt from an article written by an astute scholar of the Middle East, Bassam Tawil, also posted in Gatestone Institute on 11-21-17:

“Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist terror group controlling the Gaza Strip, maintains that it will never accept the presence of Israel on ‘Muslim-owned’ land. Hamas wants all the land Israel supposedly ‘took’ in 1948…”

My comment: If ever there was a need to define a term (Muslim-owned land … in Israel) this would be it. Neither Hamas nor its rival Palestinian Authority would be able to even come close to defining legally or proving politically that there is such land within and certainly not in place of the Sovereign State of Israel.

Things to Ponder

Though mentioned in a few prior Eye of Prophecy articles, it bears repeating: God has designed two majestic plans for humanity, as so magnificently contained in Scripture and demonstrated throughout history. (1) Selection and separation of the Jews and Israel as a people and nation through whom God’s plan of redemption would come. Specifically through the Jewish Messiah. Although this included discipline of Israel, herself, and entails punishment of peoples and nations who seek to thwart God’s plan for the return of Jews to Israel, the light of God’s salvation has shown on both Jew and Gentile.

Said God the Father about His Son (Messiah Jesus): “…You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).

The end result, which will begin during the millennial reign of Messiah Jesus, is exquisitely expressed in several Bible passages such as the following:

“Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King over all the earth. Praise him with a psalm. God reigns above the nations, sitting on his holy throne. The rulers of the world have gathered together with the people of the God of Abraham. For all the kings of the earth belong to God. He is highly honored everywhere” (Psalm 47:6-9).

Just this past Wednesday (November 29th), US Vice President Mike Pence was the keynote speaker to representatives of 33 nations (those countries which voted for Israel) celebrating the 70th anniversary of United Nations Resolution 181, which conveyed statehood rights to Israel.

(2) Salvation for all Jews and Gentiles who agree with God; who place their personal trust in God’s Messiah.

Concerning Jesus of Nazareth: “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God” (John 1:12-13).

Jesus asked the question of his disciples. This question applies to all people.

“…But who do you say I am? Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God’” (Matthew 16:15-16).

Who do you say that Jesus is? The answer to this question will determine your eternal destiny.

Is he the everlasting Alpha and Omega, beginning and end of all things?

Is he the ultimate definitive reference point to this life and the one to come?

The Bible is an amazing union of sixty-six books in one. In fact, it is known world-wide as simply, The Book. It contains every literary genre and style known to man.

What is it you’re looking for? History of peoples, places, times, and events—including the created beginning of all things? Biographies—including four separate but synchronized accounts of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of the Messiah, Jesus? Letters? Poetry? Inspirational Prayers and Psalms. Parables—short stories but always to illustrate real-life situations and realities? Genealogies? Divine doctrinal articles on truth and wisdom? You’ll find them all in Scripture and more.

“All Scripture is inspired by God…” (II Timothy 3:16, NASB).

“…I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:2-3).

Plus that which is found nowhere else in history or literature or non-Biblical “sacred” writings: an autobiography of the true and living God, himself.

You know: The ONLY God who has foretold the future through hundreds of prophecies with one hundred percent accuracy. With, therefore, an absolute statistical probability (ten to an infinite power) that the yet unfulfilled predictions will most certainly come to pass. And scores of mighty miracles (of which only God, His Son, and their prophets and apostles have performed) that no other so-called gods and prophets of man-made religions can even come close to achieving.

Although somewhat of an oversimplification, there are three basic categories that comprise the style and substance of Scripture.

1) Outright proclamations of divine truth, with many of them spoken by the Lord himself. Such as: “Let all the world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other” (Isaiah 45:22). And hundreds more like: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Or: “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (II Corinthians 5:21)

2) Historical records of people, places, and events. Creation, the Exodus, and the life of Christ come to mind.

3) Poetic and narrative metaphorical portrayals, with life-like illustrations, active analogies, and dramatic descriptions of God’s revealed truth to the human race. Such as: “The Lords lives! Praise to my Rock! May the God of my salvation be exalted!” (Psalm 18:46). Or Messiah Jesus described as, “…the Lion of the tribe of Judah…” (Revelation 5:5). Or as found in the words of Jesus, himself: “…I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35).

(Jesus is also the “Good Shepherd” … John 10:11)

Another example of illustrative imagery in Scripture, specifically applicable to this week’s article, is as follows:

“The wicked conceive evil; they are pregnant with trouble and give birth to lies. They dig a pit to trap others, then fall into it themselves. The trouble they make for others backfires on them. The violence they plan falls on their own heads” (Psalm 7:14-16).

Then in the very next verse we read: “I will thank the Lord because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High” (Verse 17, italics for emphasis).

The Justice of God

One of God’s awesome attributes is that of pure justice … justice dispensed with firmness but fairness. Such as administered by Messiah Jesus (God the Son) during his imminent glorious millennial reign on Planet Earth: “His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity…” (Isaiah 9:7).

The very concept of impartial justice, including punishment fitting the crime, was given to the human race by God through Moses to the nation of Israel when the Jews were known as Hebrews or Israelites. Later, some of the essentials of Hebrew law were adopted by the Roman Empire, such as innocent until proven guilty. Then fine-tuned by the British system of law and order, and raised to new heights by the republic checks and balance standards of the United States of America. Moreover, there is no better example of jurisprudence than found in modern-day Israel.

Society’s system of justice was mandated by God to human government. But retribution (final reckoning) belongs to God, himself.

“For anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the (new) covenant, which made us holy (separated to God), as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us. For we know the one who said, ‘I will take revenge. I will pay them back…’” (Hebrews 10:28-30, parenthesis mine, the last sentence a quote from Deuteronomy 32:35).

During the course of human history, we see many examples of God’s justice. Including harsh discipline of God’s own people for their unfaithfulness to him, mostly because they turned to false gods and religious systems of their pagan neighbors. Resulting in what the Lord called, “despicable” and “evil” deeds; brazenly committed by even the prophets, priests, and kings of Israel and Judah.

God’s punishment began in full when the remaining Jews in Judah (Southern Kingdom) were exiled to Babylon and Jerusalem and the Temple were utterly destroyed. Although some of the exiles returned to Israel, God’s people still did seek him as a nation. Thus God’s Seven Times Over punishment of Israel continued uninterrupted until 1967, when the Israelis liberated Jerusalem and ended Gentile domination of the Jews forever. God’s prescribed time period for Israel’s discipline was over. [Refer to Eye of Prophecy articles Seven Times Seven (to the 4th power) I, II, & III and the sequel summary, The Omega Generation, posted 1-25, 2-1, 2-8 & 2-15-14, based on this astonishing prophecy found in Leviticus Chapter 26].

We also see God’s anger vented against Gentile nations in the deliverance and defense of his chosen people before, during, and after (to this very day) the miraculous rebirth of Israel as a sovereign nation.

Very few people study the historical repercussions experienced by nations (including those which have fallen never to rise again, such as Babylon and the Roman Empire) in the context of how they related to and treated the Jews as a people and/or Israel as a nation. (See Eye of Prophecy article: For or Against Israel? which includes a section on Great Britain. Posted, 7-16-16).

Unfortunately, secular history is not concerned in the least with God’s two major magnificent designs and purposes for the human race, despite clear evidence and expression of these plans down through the ages. One of those plans is God’s prophesied destiny for his special possession, Israel. The other is God’s plan of salvation through the Jewish Messiah Jesus—for individual Jews and Gentiles alike.

Nor do most people in today’s world (sadly including some Christians) give a second thought to significant statements made by the Lord himself regarding Israel. Such as the oft quoted: “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3).

Few and far between are those who have read Bible passages (at all or more than once) like the following, which was also referenced in the recent Eye of Prophecy article, Prophetic Fate of Israel’s Friends and Foes (posted 10-28-17); let alone place any historical or future value on it. Despite the fact that this warning is solemnly issued by God, himself.

“The day is near when I, the Lord, will judge all godless nations! As you have done to Israel, so it will be done to you. All your evil deeds will fall back on your own heads. Just as you swallowed up my people on my holy mountain, so you and the surrounding nations will swallow the punishment I pour out on you. Yes, all you nations will drink and stagger and disappear from history” (Obadiah 1:15-16).

They see the incredible return of the Jews from the four corners of the earth to Israel as predicted hundreds of times in Scripture. But passively or actively refuse to make any Biblical connection to the Balfour Declaration of 1917; the rebirth of Israel in 1947-48; the reunification of Jerusalem to Israel in 1967; and the amazing alignment of Middle East nations against each other and Israel in today’s world.

As does much of the Old Testament, particularly prophecy, the above passage in Obadiah uses explicit illustrative imagery … entire nations and peoples that will drink and stagger and swallow the punishment of God’s judgment. This symbolism is designed to vividly depict God’s righteous justice to those nations/peoples that have harmed or even seek to harm Israel. When it comes to God’s discipline, deliverance, and defense of Israel, this figurative representation of God’s direct retribution or of justice in general (what comes around goes around) is normally carried out in principle and patterns. But also literally, as we shall soon see regarding the Palestinian terror tunnels.

Three Prototype Patterns of God’s Protection of Israel

1) God’s direct supernatural intervention. Such as the powerful plagues levied against Pharaoh and Egypt that would result in the dramatic deliverance of God’s people from (hundreds of years of) slavery. Or God’s remarkable rescue of King Hezekiah and all of Judah through one single angel who destroyed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers overnight (see II Kings 19 & Isaiah 37). Or the massive defeat that God will inflict on the Gog/Magog coalition which invades Israel in the early part of the soon-to-come Great Tribulation. In these (and others such as II Kings 7) astonishing victories, the Jews had only to watch in wonder as God vanquished Israel’s enemies unilaterally and supernaturally.

(The 10th & Most Devastating Plague. The firstborn of all Egyptians, including Pharaoh were struck down by the Lord … Exodus 12:28-30).

2) God causing Israel’s enemies to turn on each other. As one example (with a practical application to the United States of America) here is an excerpt from Eye of Prophecy article, Stand Still & Watch God Fight For Israel (posted 7-30-16). In italics:

“After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites (Aram) declared war on Jehoshaphat. Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, ‘A vast army from Edom (Aram) is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea’ … Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance … So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s help” (II Chronicles 20:1-4).

Commentary: Good response. Not only the king, but representatives from all of Judah sought the counsel and help of the God of Israel. Once again, the Bible is crystal clear on this principle: If we sincerely call on the Lord to rescue us and with equal sincerity listen to him through his Word and obey him, he will hear us. If we exclude the Lord and certainly if we expel him from the affairs of our nation, individually and collectively, then we’re on our own.

“…O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you!” (II Chronicles 20:6).

O that these words of Jehoshaphat speaking for the entire nation of Judah could be heard in our Halls of Congress, in the White House, in the seats of our Supreme Court Justices, and throughout the Pentagon:

He goes on to say:

“O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help” (Verse 12).

Biblical fact: Any nation, including what many think is the invincible United States of America, is powerless to help themselves if God is not with them. Period. End of story … end of nation.

Then Jehoshaphat and all the people bowed and worshipped the Lord. The next morning, Jehoshaphat said to the people as they prepared to meet the invading enemy: “…Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed” (Verse 20).

Here’s what happened next:

“After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: ‘Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!’

“At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other. So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped” (Verses 21-24).

Many of us remember the wartime slogan, “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.” We all know that to mean: Seek the Lord’s help for a righteous cause and praise him for all he has done and will do; but we must still fight and some will die to win the victory. That is a maxim for armies that the Lord has aided down through the years.

Not so with Jehoshaphat and his people. All they did was to praise the Lord! No bows, arrows, spears, swords, or ammunition of any kind. The Lord did it all. There have been documented cases in war when an army or militia turned on one of its allies. Yet they are few and certainly didn’t result in total annihilation of each other, before they even began to engage their real enemy. Nothing like what happened to the armies of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Aram. All the people of Judah had to do was trust the Lord, praise him for a victory already guaranteed against a massive coalition that would have annihilated Judah, and then, “…gather the plunder” (Verse 25).

3) God’s providential assurance of Israel’s victories when her people actually fight. There are many examples of this in the Old Testament. But to demonstrate that God’s prophetic promises also apply to the return of the Jews to the Promised Land and rebirth of the State of Israel, I’ll cite the against all odds miraculous triumph of the Israelis in their 1948 War of Independence; their stunning victory in the Six-Day War of 1967; and their equally incredible defeat of the surprise attack launched by Egypt and Syria on the Jewish Holy Day of Yom Kippur in 1973.

In all of these examples we see Israel’s enemies swallowing the pill of death and destruction meant for Israel, and staggering from the blows with which they would have pulverized Israel into oblivion. Or, Israel’s enemies drinking the same disabling concoction which they had intended to force down Israel’s throat.

“…I will punish them in proportion to the suffering they cause my people. This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: ‘Take from my hand this cup filled to the brim with my anger, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink from it. When they drink from it, they will stagger, crazed by the warfare I will send against them’” (Jeremiah 25:14-16).

Jeremiah goes on to list a lengthy array of nations and their kings—past, present, and future, beginning with Judah itself and ending with Babylon—that would drink from this cup of God’s wrath. To include, by default (based on other prophets and their prophecies) all end-times nations that despise, denigrate, demonize, and arrogantly seek to destroy Israel.

The allegorical language so often used by the Lord through his prophets has and will continue to apply to those peoples who hate the Jews and to nations that seek to erase Israel from the map. Even more remarkable is the literal demonstration (cause and effect) of justice that we find in Scripture and also in today’s world, as we shall soon see through a stunning turn of events in the Gaza Strip.

The term, “poetic justice” was first coined by English literary critic Thomas Rymer in the late 17th century. Initially and specifically it applied to some literary works that Rymer believed should reflect the rewarding of the good characters and punishment of the bad characters … a right representation of real life. Since then, poetic justice seems to have expanded to a universal code of cause and effect in ethics and morality, beyond literature.

This is reflected in the generalized definition of poetic justice found in Webster’s Dictionary: “An outcome in which vice is punished and virtue rewarded usually in a manner peculiarly or ironically appropriate.”

A well-known example of a literal “ironic twist of fate” (in the context of poetic justice) is that of the wicked Persian official Haman, as found in the book of Esther. Haman’s evil plot to kill Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, then to annihilate all of the Jews throughout the Persian Empire, came back to (ironically appropriate) haunt, humiliate, and hang him on a pole … literally.

It was Haman who ended up being executed; impaled on the same pole that he erected to murder Mordecai … a precisely peculiar ironic and literal “twist of fate.”

Less than two weeks ago on October 30th, 2017, eight Palestinians—some of whom (including senior officials) belonged to the militant terrorist cell known as Palestinian Islamic Jihad—were killed when Israelis “neutralized a terror tunnel” by blowing it up. At least eight more terrorists were injured or missing in the tunnel’s collapse. Israeli Army spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said that the tunnel had been exploded where it ended on Israel’s side of the border with the Gaza Strip. Obviously the detonation was large enough for a ripple effect to parts of the tunnel on the Gaza side.

(One of the Palestinian Terror Tunnels Uncovered by the IDF)

Lt. Col Conricus went on to call this tunnel a, “grave and unacceptable violation of Israeli sovereignty.”

Although Islamic Jihad is a separate militant organization from Hamas—which is the controlling entity of the Gaza Strip—Israel holds Hamas accountable for any terrorist attacks or illegal excursions into Israel, including tunnels.

In an article published on 10-31-17 in the online Op Ed News Source, Israel Hayom, IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis is quoted: “Only conventional measures were used. The IDF used the same measures it uses regularly. The secondary damage underground resulted in fatalities … There was no intent to target any specific individual. The operation took place in our territory. Their people were killed in their territory.”

He also said that most of the casualties were from smoke inhalation, dust, and landslides, not directly from the detonation itself.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s response was, “Those who try to harm us, we harm them. Today we detected a tunnel and destroyed it and we will continue to do so.”

Education Minister Naftali Bennett reacted in the vein of other Israeli officials; however, his response also criticized IDF’s insinuation that human targets were not intended.

Said Bennett: “We must never apologize for success in eliminating terrorists. These are terrorists who were digging an attack tunnel inside Israeli territory. It was dug to kill Israeli woman and children. We are not interested in any escalation, and as a member of the cabinet who, since Operation Protective Edge has pushed for eliminating the terror tunnel threat, I fully support this operation. The IDF’s objective is to defeat the enemy, and we must continue doing that.”

Operation Protective Edge began in 2014, in justified retaliation for the abduction and brutal murder of three Israeli youths by Hamas militants, but also because Hamas terrorists were infiltrating Israel through dozens of tunnels, the sheer number of which caught the IDF off guard. (See Eye of Prophecy articles, Bring Back Our Boys, posted 6-28-14. Followed by Prince of Peace on 7-5-14, after the abducted boys were found dead).

During that campaign, the IDF destroyed 32 terrorist tunnels, and since then has made neutralization of tunnels one of Israel’s top priorities. Some of those tunnels were a mile long and sixty feet deep.

Whether dug by Palestinians between Gaza and Israel or between Gaza and Egypt to smuggle arms and ammunition, several Palestinians have been killed (in the past couple of years) during the excavation of tunnels, having nothing to do with Israeli intervention. On the contrary, tunnels simply collapsed with the implied conclusion that the diggers were not skilled enough in subterranean digging or safety to prevent their own deaths.

Yet, when the Israelis (through precautionary, preemptive defense strategies) blow up a tunnel while it just happens to be occupied by terrorists, here is the reaction of the Islamic Jihad leader, Mohammad Al Hindi: “The truce with the enemy is over and the response will be the size of the crime.”

In the Palestinian news agency Wafa, the military branch of the Palestinian Authority (Fatah) also called it, “the Israeli crime.” Boasting that, “the blood (of those killed) would not be wasted.”

Even this response is couched in gloomy irony. It is the Palestinians who are wasting their own blood in their hate-fueled and ill-fated agenda to eliminate Israel from the face of the earth. Worse, they are spilling the blood of Israelis.

(The “Knife Intifada” Began In October, 2016. Other Means of Palestinians Killing Jews Are With Guns, Axes, Clubs, Ramming Cars. Some of the Attacks Carried Out by Women. Even Slingshots Can Be Deadly)

Crime? Is it a crime for Israel to protect her people from death and injury at the hands of those whose life’s ambition is to kill innocent men, woman, and children? When the real crime can be found in the Palestinian “cause” which is based on lies and false rewritten history that Jews are the occupiers of land that rightfully belongs to them. Not only Jews but also Israeli Arabs who are citizens of the Sovereign State of Israel. When, in fact, there is no such thing as a Palestinian State or a Palestinian people or a Palestinian language. Or to deliberately ignore the fact that Israel’s name was changed to Palestine by a Roman Emperor in the 2nd century who hated the Jews, killed them, and drove out many Jews who had not been exiled by the Romans in 70 AD. It is the Arabs of Gaza and the West Bank who are non-citizens … by their own preference and choice. They are the actual settlers (in the negative connotation) of the land, all of which belongs to Israel by God’s decree and also by historical presence and rights that existed long before Arabs occupied parts of Israel.

Yet, it’s even deeper than the land of Israel. It is the irrational, unreasonable, and unfathomable Arab/Muslim hatred of the Jews. And not only by the Arabs, but by entire nations and peoples the world over in the ugly expression of Anti-Semitism. See Eye of Prophecy article The Real Reason for Palestinian Terrorism (posted 9-30-17) to discover the historical underlying cause.

Two days before the tunnel in question was demolished by the IDF, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency revealed discovery of another tunnel dug by Palestinian militants directly beneath one of UNRWA’s schools in Gaza. UNRWA reported that they had, “sealed the cavity created by the tunnel.”

For years, this United Nations agency (along with UNESCO) has been a stubbornly stern critic of Israel, for any number of unfounded and bogus reasons. So much so that both the United States (via President Trump’s executive order) and Israel recently canceled their membership in UNESCO. Thus, it’s obvious that the press release by UNRWA (UNESCO’s counterpart in bashing Israel) was moderated toward Israel in order not to ruffle more United States’ feathers. Regarding the sealing of the tunnel beneath their office complex, an UNRWA official pretentiously protested, “…the violation of the sanctity and disrespect of the neutrality” of United Nations fixtures. Yet this spokesperson didn’t call the violators terrorists or identify them as Hamas or even as Palestinians. Instead, they employed the term “relevant parties” as those responsible for the tunnel.

In an Israel Hayom article written by Yoav Limor, also posted on 10-31-17, we read: “Israel told Hamas in no uncertain terms that as the sovereign power in Gaza it would pay the price for any form of retaliation (meaning by Islamic Jihad). It is unclear why Hamas failed to take this into consideration when it allowed Islamic Jihad to dig the attack tunnel into Israel … Although the armed factions in Gaza have coordinated in recent years, they remain far apart ideologically and are sponsored by rival powers. While Hamas is supported by Sunni Gulf States, Islamic Jihad is backed by Iran and Syria.”

*Note: The last sentence of the above statement by Yoav Limor is certainly accurate; however, recently Hamas sent delegates to Iran for two reasons: (1) to brief Iran on the signed agreement between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, in which the PA will take over administrative functions of the Gaza Strip. (2) Iranian officials agreeing with and encouraging Hamas not to give up their weapons, which was a precondition for this truce with the Palestinian Authority. It’s apparent that PA President Mahmoud Abbas was embarrassed by Hamas’s unwillingness to lay down their arms, and it’s equally evident that Abbas will or can do nothing about it.

Summary

In light of this recent tunnel episode and the possibility of terrorists being in the tunnel when it was demolished (does it really matter in the context of Israel’s right or any country’s right to protect its citizens?), let’s look again at the Scripture quoted near the beginning of this week’s article:

“The wicked conceive evil; they are pregnant with trouble and give birth to lies. They dig a pit to trap others, then fall into it themselves. The trouble they make for others backfires on them. The violence they plan falls on their own heads” (Psalm 7:14-16, italics for emphasis).

The providential privilege and universal principles of justice, especially poetic justice, in this and previous “natural” collapses of terror tunnels is extraordinary. The metaphorical language of warranted payback, as prophetically and poignantly expressed in the above passage, literally took place. To wit: Dig a pit, fall into it … the backfire of the detonation to the beginning point of the tunnel … falls on their own heads.

Those of us who are believers in Messiah Jesus (both Jew and Gentile) can appreciate the perfect justice of our Great God and Savior and the Biblical standard that what is sown will be reaped. Whether through unprovoked, unjustified wars or the constant killing of innocent people the world over (by terrorist groups, lone-wolf terrorists, or evil-deranged murderers), we are satisfied when justice is served. Who among us doesn’t breathe a sigh of relief when the killer will kill no more because he or she has been silenced?

However, we need to maintain a Biblical balance. We need to distinguish between welcoming God’s justice against wicked individuals and nations during our lifetime, and the Lord’s final sentence against all unbelievers at the last judgment.

“…And all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and grave were thrown into the lake of fire. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:13-15). *Note: The unsaved will be judged according to their deeds, because it is their erroneous belief that good works would be the basis for redemption; rather than Biblical salvation by simply believing and receiving Messiah Jesus as personal Savior.

Things to Ponder

God doesn’t take pleasure in the death of the wicked, and neither should we.

This premise is not a contradiction of the following passage: “When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish, there is glad shouting. By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down” (Proverbs 11:10-11, NASB).

This proverb is not suggesting that people should revel capriciously or vindictively in the actual death of wicked people (especially rulers and leaders), with the celebrating an end into itself. Yes, there is gladness when terrible tyrants and malicious murderers are dealt with. Who wasn’t elated, except a few die-hard Nazis, when Hitler (and others like him at all different levels) exited this earth?

Rather, the context and connotation of this proverb is how much better it is when a city (or state or nation) is governed by those whose God is the Lord (Psalm 33:12), not whose god is themselves.

“Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? Says the Sovereign Lord. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live” (Ezekiel 18:23).

And again: “As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?” (Ezekiel 33:11).

That’s right. This principle was applied even to God’s chosen people.

God is Love (I John 4:8). He loves all people equally (John 3:16). This love was graciously expressed through the death of his only Son, Messiah Jesus, for the sins that every human being has committed and the eternal pardon for those sins.

“But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God” (John 1:12-13)

“And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment” (John 3:36).

Islam and its false god, Allah, bestow the highest honor to those who die while they are killing the infidels … Jews and Christians, and even other Muslims who belong to a different sect of Islam. Thus, Sunnis kill Shi’ites and vice versa. And they both murder Jews and Christians. Whereas, the true and living God doesn’t force anyone to love him or to accept his Son as the only way of salvation. He asks only for a willing response to so great a love, so great a salvation.

God’s justice is firm but fair. It is pure; it altogether combines his love and his holiness. There is a perfect blend of life-giving grace and salvation with the truth of sin and its eternal consequences.

Iran and its proxies have repeatedly vowed to “wipe Israel from the face of the earth.”

Listen to the word of the Lord when the armies of Gog/Magog (which includes Iran) dare advance against Israel in the soon to come Great Tribulation:

“You and your army and your allies will all die on the mountains. I will feed you to the vultures and wild animals. You will fall in the open fields, for I have spoken, says the Sovereign Lord. And I will rain down fire on Magog and on all your allies who live safely on the coasts. Then they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 39:4-6).

Yes, Scripture tells us who actually will be wiping whom from the face of the earth.

Iran and all peoples and nations who bear ill-will toward Israel should take heed. God’s supreme power and justice will not be denied. So, too, against all who, “…refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them… They will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth” (II Thessalonians 2:10 & 12).

“Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6).

Though difficult to even think about it, I’m compelled to write about the savage slaughter in Las Vegas this past Sunday. Never before in the 220 Eye of Prophecy articles to date have successive posts begun with the same sectional heading. Especially one as grim as: Will the Killing Never End?

Last week’s article, The Real Reason for Palestinian Terrorism, was about the murder of three Israelis on September 26th by a 37-year old Palestinian who, by means of his Israeli issued work permit, had a good job and above average income from working in one of the Israeli communities in the West Bank. Neither his age nor his economic status fit the profile of Palestinians who murder Jews. Nor did the 64-year old financially well-to-do killer who ruthlessly snuffed out the lives of 59 fellow Americans, with an unprecedented number injured … over 500.

Not since 9/11 do I recall sitting in front of the television for hours over a single event, flipping between news stations; watching the deadly details of this malicious massacre in silent and solemn disbelief. Occasionally mouthing the words along with millions of Americans … unbelievable, incredible, shocking, and inconceivable. And mostly, “Why?”

A wounded person is walked in on a wheelbarrow as Las Vegas police respond.

There are not adequate words in any language to describe such cruelty. I suppose that President Donald Trump said it as well as could be said: “An act of pure evil.”

Every moral and spiritual fiber of our being cries out: “This is wrong, this is so very wrong.”

The sheer number of victims is staggering. It is the worst mass shooting in United States history, exceeding the 49 killed in the Orlando night club in June, 2016. The only other atrocity committed by an American that resulted in more deaths was the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City (1995 … 168 dead) by another malevolently evil man.

Twenty times as many Americans killed in Nevada on October 1st, than the three Israelis murdered in Israel just six days earlier. I don’t make this observation just for the sake of comparison. Anyone with any sense of morality, human decency, and respect for life knows full well: The murder of just one person (especially indiscriminate acts of terrorism that have become all too common, to the appalling point of normalcy) is one too many.

Rather, I make the connection between America and Israel because both Americans and Israelis have been affected by these brutal crimes on a national level. We, the people, are seriously shocked, righteously outraged, and deeply grieved by the deaths of our fellow Americans and Israelis, respectively. Both Americans and Israelis are intensely saddened at the devastating effect that the loss of loved ones (particularly at the hand of a random killer) has on their immediate family and friends.

In the context of this week’s subject, I only want to point out that the Jews have suffered many more of these arbitrary acts of terrorism in the last thirty years or so than have Americans. In that regard, killing of the three Jews was a greater loss (in numbers) to Israel than the fifty-nine Americans—mercilessly struck down before their time—were to America. With 320 million Americans and 6.5 million Jews in Israel, the United States population is approximately 50 times larger than Israel. Which statistically means that the death of three Israelis is 2 ½ times proportionally more than the loss of fifty-nine Americans.

Yet, it bears repeating: Even one innocent person randomly stabbed, shot, bombed, or run over by a vehicle is one too many. Whether it be in the United States, Israel, Norway, Germany, France, Spain, Great Britain, or anywhere. Reliable statistics show that 89% of such mass killings are committed by Muslims in general and/or those with actual or ideological ties to Islamic militants in particular. The Las Vegas massacre falls into the remaining ten per cent.

(Shows Body Covered on Ground … One of Two Woman Killed at Marseille, France Train Station by Muslim Terrorist–Also On October 1st)

Motive for the Law Vegas Bloodbath

Most Americans seem to be stunned at the Las Vegas massacre more than previous attacks for two reasons: (1) the frightening number of those killed and wounded. (2) Not knowing why … motive of the butcher.

Not just the leaders of our country and other nations who have condemned the Las Vegas atrocity, but celebrities and ordinary Americans have heard and probably uttered the word, senseless, or something similar. In a USA Today article entitled, Celebrities mourn a senseless act: ‘Why?’ posted on 10-3-17, some 30 celebrities (mostly country western singers and musicians) were quoted with such phrases as “stilled and speechless” from Keith Urban. Or Brad Paisley: “There are no words right now that suffice.” Blake Shelton said: “I don’t even know anymore … Why?” Thomas Rhett couldn’t, “fathom what happened.”

Contrasted to, for example, the Orlando and the San Bernardino (December, 2015 … fourteen killed) mass murders that were committed by a single man and a married couple with religious ties to Islam and/or political affiliation—at least ideological—to ISIS. Thus far, the Las Vegas assassin has no known religious or political connections to anyone or anything. Killing with absolutely no reason except to kill is, indeed, pure evil.

That’s what makes the Las Vegas attack even more gut-wrenching and mind-boggling. We want to know why, but we don’t. We want to process it all, but we can’t. Some think or say: even if there was a reason, it’s reached the point where it’s too much. Enough is enough.

If we just knew the reason, then maybe we could do something. Or can we? Where do we start? What could or should we do different? Should we deal just with the surface of the problem? In the case of mass shootings, do we eliminate altogether the constitutional right for American citizens to bear arms? Do we increase our security to the brink of becoming a police state in America? Do we give up going to indoor or outdoor stadiums and arenas to watch basketball, football, baseball, soccer; or listen to open-air concerts or attend conferences in a crowd of thousands?

Or is the problem much deeper than what can be addressed on a social or political or law enforcement level?

When all is said and done, is there really any way we can make sense of the senseless?

(Fort Hood Mass Shooting in Nov., 2009. Shows one of the 31 Wounded on Stretcher. Twelve American Servicemen and One Civilian Killed By Major Nidal Hasan, Who was a Practicing Muslim and Described Himself As, “A Soldier of Allah.” Thus, in This Case, the Ultimate Motive Was Clear).

Only Through God and His Word Can We Make Some Sense of It All

God’s Word, the Bible, does give us hope for the future, knowing that God knows why and that he cares more than we can imagine. How much does he care?

“God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins” (I John 4:9-10).

Jesus understands pain and death. He, too, was murdered. Though his death was unique—the just for the unjust, the righteous for the unrighteous—his blood was just as real, just as red. His agony was so great that the word excruciating comes directly from crucifixion.

Many inevitably ask the question: “Why did God allow this to happen?” That is a question that could be asked of any tragedy on a personal, city and state, national or international level—such as two World Wars that resulted in a combined death of some 90 million people.

Except for Messiah Jesus, no one who has ever lived knows all the relevant reasons why God does or doesn’t preemptively do certain things for certain people or cities or nations at any given time.

Yet, both general and specific principles can be found in Scripture … starting at the beginning when God allowed mankind to choose between good and evil. Including the realization that if God intervened in (prevented) every sin that every person or group of people were about to commit, then he would be revoking the free will that he has given us to choose between right and wrong, between light and darkness, between life and death. Which means that we would not choose to love, respect, and worship him for who He is—our Creator and Savior. We would become puppet robots with a deep-seated desire to rebel against God even more than we already do. What parent doesn’t want their child to love them willingly? What child wants to be forced to love and respect their mom and dad? In that sense, God has given everyone the freedom to determine his or her eternal destiny, depending on what they do with his Son.

Throughout the people, places, and events of Scripture—as borne out in history in the context of such things as terrible tragedies—if there’s one thing that stands out above everything else it is this: God sometimes allows bad things to happen to get our attention, including man-made disasters. When it comes to natural disasters, the Lord may even cause them from time to time. He allows things to happen in order to jolt our individual attention because our attention span is so short when it comes to focusing on God as the giver of all good things. He gives us life, then he gives us life again (everlasting) by redemption through his Son, Messiah Jesus. Or the principle as applied to entire nations so profoundly stated in the following passage:

And, “No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

Inevitably and invariably, the only way to make sense of these senseless acts is by seeing things in the broadest and best perspective possible. And there is no other bigger or better source that God, himself. Moreover, the Lord’s divine perspective of his creation, of all things, is portrayed powerfully through His Word, the Bible.

For example: In last week’s article we looked past the presumed reasons why Palestinian Arabs continue to kill Jews on a regular basis. Motives such as alleged Jewish occupation of Israel (what Arabs still insist is Palestine) or non-existent apartheid propagandized by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to their own people and erroneously believed by millions all over the earth. As opposed to the real reason which goes back thousands of years; one that is explained explicitly in Scripture—the ancient rivalry between Ishmael and Isaac, ancestors of the Arabs and Jews, respectively.

The origin of 20th and 21st century terroristic-style killings can be traced primarily back to the Palestinian massacre of eleven Israeli athletes during the 1972 Munich Olympics. Followed throughout the years by plane hijackings, then suicide bombings, and now lone-wolf attacks. Then largely beginning with 9/11, Muslim mass murder of anyone they considered infidels, which are Christians (including “Christian nations”) and Jews. And more recently Muslim Sunni and Shi’ite sects killing each other.

With one or two exceptions, such as the University of Texas student/sniper who shot and killed fourteen and wounded thirty-two in 1966, this perverted pattern of terrorism began in Munich, Germany. It then spun off into copy-cat massacres that have taken place all over the world, but mostly in the United States. The deadliest, in terms of numbers, took place near Oslo, Norway, with the lone gunman bombing and shooting to death 77 people in 2011. Although fewer in numbers (fortunately) than the Las Vegas massacre, the killing of twenty Sandy Hook Elementary school children and six staff members by a 20-year old man—who also didn’t have any political or religious motivation—was as gruesome as it gets. He also shot and killed his own mother.

For sure Palestinian murder of Jews is terrorism. But as developed in last week’s article, it has a much deeper root than just excuses created through political or religious conflict and opportunities. These are just branches of the tree. The tree itself is that of sheer hatred traced all the way back to Ishmael’s animosity towards Isaac.

(Isaac, not Ishmael was the Child of Promise. God Spared Isaac. But God Did Not Spare Isaac’s Descendant, Messiah Jesus–Who Is the Ultimate Child of Promise to Save Us From Our Sins)

The Depravity of Mankind … How Terrible Sin Really Is

Thus, there is a known reason for Palestinians in particular and Muslims in general committing acts of terror or BDS against Jews and (in some parts of the world) Christians. Whereas, the reprehensible massacre of so many in Las Vegas seems senseless and even more maddening because of an apparent lack of motive, the end result is the same. Whether serial killers over a period of time or a single act of mass murder, these killings actually do have a common denominator—the ultimate reason given to us by God:

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

Then immediately we read:

“But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve” (Jeremiah 17:10).

Then painting an even broader picture in order to show us that the universal divine standard from which we can make sense out of the senseless, and by which our eternal destiny is determined can be found in such verses as:

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standards” (Romans 3:23).

Also, “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23a).

That’s right: everyone has sinned. And the “reward” (wages) for that sin is death—eternal separation from God throughout eternity.

The Apostle Paul went on to emphasize:

“…So we can see how terrible sin really is…” (Romans 7:13).

But here’s where so many people make such a huge mistake. Nearly all unbelievers (and sadly even some Christians) have a wrong impression of what sin really is, thinking that sin consists of only the worst of the wrong things people do. They compare themselves to others and customarily conclude that there are many people worse than they are. So we hear them say such things as, “Well, I’m not that bad.” Really? Where do they draw the line? What’s their definition of bad? Or for that matter … good? Do they wonder how many others have said the same thing about them? Is there anyone, anywhere who could make that statement about every other person in the world?!

In order to make such a distinction, they have to set up their own personal standards, which makes the whole thing totally relative … no absolute or fixed reference point. Actually, that’s what most people do. It’s a cafeteria style morality: Choose only want you want to be or think is sin.

Many equate this relative standard (of acceptance by or right standing with God) only to criminal violations of statutory laws. Others view sin as no more than a lapse in judgment, with a mindset that, “we all make mistakes.” Or, “no one is perfect.” They’re correct on both accounts, but so very wrong that only some of the sins (the ones they choose) listed in Scripture are actually transgressions against God. If we think that so many of the bad things we do are not really sin, then why do we lie about them so often? Why cover them up? Why hide them? Rhetorical questions, wouldn’t you agree. And then there are those who boast about their transgressions.

Worse, yet:

“If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts” (I John 1:10).

In terms of redemption—accepted by faith as a free gift from God as opposed to good works leading to salvation (Ephesians 2:8)—there is no difference between say a few small sins or even one small sin and one huge act of evil such as murder.

The Bible is absolutely clear: Concerning our need for redemption through Jesus Christ and him alone, God does not grade or measure us on a curve or sliding scale of little and big sins. All who die without Christ will be separated from God forever. Only their degree of retribution in hell (punishment fits the crime) is determined by the severity of their wrong thoughts and actions while on this earth. In that regard, Stephen Paddock might not be that far behind such infamous characters as Joseph Stalin or Adolph Hitler concerning the degree of their eternal punishment.

Here is an excerpt from Eye of Prophecy article, A Trilogy of Terror, posted 12-26-15:

The gospels and epistles are replete with his words of truth, life, and hope; but also words of warning of the great tribulation and coming judgment. As do most of the Old Testament prophets. What many preachers and teachers have said is true: Jesus and Scripture talk more about hell than heaven. More about sin and its awful consequences than the salvation that will forgive those sins and pardon the penalty imposed by God. But for a purpose: To demonstrate that, as awesome as God’s love is for every individual and for the Jewish nation as a whole, God’s justice must be administered or the world as we know it would inevitably self-destruct….

For example: “O God … you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked … You will destroy those who tell lies. The Lord detests murderers and deceivers” (Psalm 5:4-6).

This passage, like so many others, speaks of unbelievers whose entire life is lived apart from God, doing their own thing, going their own way.

Notice that the Lord detests not only murderers, but also deceivers. Deception is as bad as or worse than the sin itself … lying to cover up wrong things we’ve done. We even lie about lying.

Because Scripture is replete with all kinds of sin and also many stories of people who have sinned, I’ll refer only to Galatians 5:19-21, that begins with: “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear…”

The Apostle Paul goes on to list fifteen specific sins in that passage plus, “other sins like these.” He makes it clear that Scripture is referring to: “…anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:21). As opposed to those whose life (and lifestyle) has been changed from the inside out by trusting in Messiah Jesus for forgiveness of their sin.

We have absolutely no right to deliberately take someone’s life unless its self-defense (including justified wars) or the Biblical mandated right of society to administer capital punishment. Concerning “lesser” sins: although not dead as such, how many lives have been ruined permanently or for long periods of time by adultery, loss of life savings through fraud, selfish indulgence of alcohol, drugs, promiscuity, molestation, and a host of other offenses that devastate the offended and sometimes even the offender. To the point of wishing they were dead … some even tragically acting on that wish.

Eternal Life or Everlasting Death

There is, in fact, a fate worse than physical death. It is spiritual death—which the Bible classifies as eternal separation from God. As opposed to eternal life in heaven. But thanks be to our great and glorious God; there is a remedy.

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved” (Romans 10:9-10).

Yes, the wages of sin is (eternal) death. But the second half of that verse gives us wonderful hope:

“….but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b).

“And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life” (I John 5:11-13, italics for emphasis).

Not think, not wish, but we can know (beyond any doubt) that personal trust in Messiah’s death, burial, and resurrection will guarantee everlasting life with our Lord and the host of heaven. Along with a complete pardon for all the wrong things we’ve done.

In light of the unspeakable tragedy that took place in Las Vegas, it is also imperative that we highlight another feature of the above quoted passage. Which is: Whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.

The Apostle John also wrote: “And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment” (John 3:36). These and many other Bible passages tell us that all who die without accepting Jesus as personal Savior will sadly end up in hell, awaiting final sentence because they remain under God’s angry judgment.

Jesus said to (of all people) the religious leaders of Israel: “…You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this world; I do not. That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I AM who I claim to be, you will die in your sins” (John 8:23-24).

Jesus claimed not only that he was the anointed Messiah; he also said in no uncertain terms that he was God (the Son). He applied the name of God to himself—the same sacred name (Yahweh … I AM) that God gave to Moses at the burning bush.

Without personal belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and God the Son and his finished work on the cross, a person will “die in their sins.”

“Then death and the grave (all those in hell) were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:14-15, parenthesis mine).

Is Eternal Separation From God Too Harsh of a Penalty?

Though I am so very grateful for my salvation and eternal destiny in heaven, I have sometimes wondered whether the second death is an inordinately severe penalty for those who die in their sins because they have refused to personally accept God’s invitation to, “…Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved…” (Acts 16:31).

Scripture is unequivocal: If we commit one sin, if we break one of God’s laws, we’ve broken them all. But it’s more than that. The fact is we were born with a sin nature that has to be dealt with. The sins we commit are merely symptoms of the disease of sin that we’ve all inherited from Adam and Eve. Even King David recognized that fact when he said to God:

“Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. For I was born a sinner—yes, from the moment my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:4-5).

But then I think about the enormous price that Jesus paid to save us from our sins and the eternal penalty for all the wrong things we’ve done. As I’ve said in a couple of prior Eye of Prophecy articles: God’s grace freely given to us through the death of his son is, the greatest sacrifice ever made by the highest price ever paid.

Or as the words of the song go: I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sins upon that cross.

It’s far too high a price to trivialize or flippantly ignore, or certainly to scorn and reject. The price of Messiah’s precious blood and very life makes it clearer to me how terrible sin is … and its consequences. That the final verdict on those who have refused a complete pardon for their sins is as the Bible declares:

Would you agree with the following statement about the Las Vegas mass murderer, especially if it were made by say the wife of a husband who was one of fifty-nine shot and killed:

“May he burn in hell!”

What Stephen Paddock did was, in fact, pure evil. And he will eternally suffer more for this horrible act than most who end up in hell. But just how much comfort will that be to millions upon millions of others who will also be eternally separated from God for far less grievous sins?

Yet the Bible is crystal clear when it tells us that (ultimately) it’s not our individual sins that will condemn us. We’re already under condemnation the moment we’re born. We’re not sinners because we sin. We sin because we’re sinners. What will keep us under that verdict of guilty and the penalty that goes with it is one thing only: refusal to accept the pardon God has already provided by believing and receiving the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Jesus did for us what we could not do for ourselves. He satisfied God’s justice, and in doing so expressed God’s great love for us.

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him” (Romans 5:8-9, NASB).

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (II Corinthians 5:21).

Summary

Listen to the true and living God:

“…At the time I have planned, I will bring justice against the wicked … I warned the proud, Stop your boasting! I told the wicked … Don’t raise your fists in defiance at the heavens or speak with such arrogance. For no one on earth … should raise a defiant fist. It is God alone who judges…” (Psalm 75:2-7).

Scripture is explicit: The wicked are all those who have not been pardoned by believing and receiving Christ as Savior. They, at one time or another, have raised a defiant fist toward God, figuratively … even literally. Every sin ever committed is in defiance of God’s holy laws. Some are wicked and more defiant than others, such as the Stephen Paddocks of the world. But all hearts, good and bad, need God’s salvation.

We are shocked over the deadly results of such evil as witnessed in Las Vegas this past Sunday. As well we should be. It is a time to grieve and a time to heal. But it is also a time to take stock of ourselves and this once great land we call home, the United States of America. There is no doubt whatsoever: This country is not what it used to be, just one generation ago. Nor is the world at large. What has happened to us? What have we done? What can be done about it? Have we gone too far? Is it too late to turn it around? Will God still bless America? Why should God bless America?

Things to Ponder

I’d like to close with an excerpt from Eye of Prophecy article, America the Beautiful is Getting Ugly, posted 7-9-16.

Scripture is exceedingly clear on the following: God normally deals with sin on an individual basis for those who have rejected the Lord’s only remedy for sin and its penalty—the once for all redemptive substitutionary sacrifice of God’s Son, Messiah Jesus. But when the leaders of a nation (in today’s society … presidents, prime ministers, legislative officials, celebrities, and especially judges) and many of its people corporately and blatantly defy and distort God’s truth as found in His Word, then God’s punishment is applied to the entire nation.

It’s one thing for individuals within a society to abort babies; participate in same-sex behavior; individually mock and despise God, Christ, born-again Christians, and Jews; engage in hedonistic lifestyles; and privately wish there were no vestiges of Biblical Christianity (prayer, Ten Commandments, Christian emblems) in our courts, halls of government, centers of education, and any public place whatsoever. That’s between the individual and God.

However, from God’s vantage point, it’s altogether a different matter when governments and nations and organizations openly condone, publicly flaunt, then legislate and fund these practices. Please understand: neither I nor by brothers and sisters in Christ are judging individuals for their sins. Because I/We have all sinned (Romans 3:23). We all need the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ.

Then in conclusion of that article:

Though I am, like many Americans, passionately patriotic about my country, the truth must be told.

Some reading this article might question the premise that America the Beautiful (based on the song) is getting uglier by the day. Others could even be offended by the word, ugly as applied to America … especially its people.

First, my reference point and context is the condition in which the United States has fallen. One of many definitions in Webster’s Dictionary for condition is: “State of being.”

Secondly, let’s also defer to Webster’s Dictionary for some of the definitions of ugly: “Morally offensive or objectionable; repulsive … neither pleasing nor beautiful.”

For those things that begin in a perfect or near perfect state, then deteriorate to the point of demise, it is good if we can come full circle. As it was in the beginning in the Garden of Eden, so will it be again when Christ Jesus returns to set up his Kingdom of truth, justice, and peace.

As it was when the United States of America gave birth to freedom of worship and pursuit of life, liberty, and well-being through adherence to the timeless truths of Scripture and reliance on the Triune God of the Bible, we can only hope and pray that we will come (at least close to) full circle before it’s too late.

This past Tuesday, September 26th, another Palestinian lone-wolf terrorist struck. Border Police Staff Sgt. Solomon Gavriyah and security guards Youssef Ottman and Or Arish were shot and killed at point-blank range by Mahmoud Ahmad Jamal just northwest of Jerusalem. A fourth security guard was seriously injured. The Palestinian murderer was killed on the spot, near the check-point crossing that leads to the Jewish community of Har Adar where he had worked in the past.

By Palestinian preferences and terrorists’ standards this was a long time between attacks on the Jews, with the previous assault occurring on 7-22-17 and the one before that on 7-14-17. Two months’ time between attacks presumably creates withdrawal symptoms among Palestinian Arabs—whether it be the militants among them that actually do the killing or the (so-called) moderates who nevertheless cheer their “martyrs” and celebrate by giving treats to each other. Others dance in the streets, ecstatic over the death of more Jews. Some of these streets are named after the murderers.

(The Three Israeli Victims at Har Adar)

I wrote about the July 14th attack in Eye of Prophecy article, An Unprecedented Palestinian Attack in Jerusalem, posted 7-22-17. You may recall that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu immediately ordered metal detectors to be installed at all Temple Mount entrance gates. Which caused a local Palestinian and international Muslim uproar—as though the murder of the Israeli police officers was nothing compared to the (temporary) inconvenience for Arabs to ascend Temple Mount through metal detectors, which were subsequently removed.

Eye of Prophecy articles, Jewish Sovereignty on Temple Mount, Part I & II were then published on 8-5 & 8-12-17. Here is an excerpt from Part I of those articles (in italics):

The Eye of Prophecy article entitled An Unprecedented Palestinian Attack in Jerusalem, posted 7-22-17, summarized the cold-blooded killing of two Israeli policemen and the aftermath, which included Israel’s sensible security installation of metal detectors to all gates that lead to Old Jerusalem. Never before had Arab terrorists killed Israelis in the confines of Temple Mount. Then the pathological audacious accusations by Jordanian, Hamas, and Palestinian Authority officials that the Jews were violating the “status quo” conditions of Temple Mount with these metal detectors. All the while, deliberately oblivious to the fact that it was the three Israeli-Arab (citizens of Israel) terrorists who started the whole thing.

Just a few hours (Israel time) after I posted that Eye of Prophecy article, a 19-year old Israeli Arab entered a Jewish home and brutally stabbed 70-year old Yosef Salomon, his son Elad, age 36, and daughter Chaya, age 46, to death. Yosef’s wife Tova, 68, was seriously wounded while protecting her grandchildren.

Not that Arabs need a stated reason to kill Jews, but the latest and most prevalent excuse is to protect the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Temple Mount from what they call (non-existent) Jewish desecration. Muslim definition of Al-Aqsa defilement is simply that of any Jew setting foot on Temple Mount, as there has never ever been any Jewish desecration of the mosque.

Among other vile things the murderer posted online before he butchered the Salomon family was that the Jews would not, “open the gates of al-Aqsa.” Even that was a distortion (lie) as the only (reasonable) change was erection of metal detectors—not taking away the privilege of Arabs to enter the gates that lead to Temple Mount.

Responses to the Most Recent Murders of July 26th

Immediate reaction from the ultra-militant Hamas—the terrorist governing body in the Gaza Strip—was as expected. Said Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem:

“Hamas praises the operation in Jerusalem today and considers it as a normal reaction to the crimes of the occupation and to the continuous occupation of our Palestinian land and sacred sites. We can assure that Jerusalem is the main reason for our conflict with the occupation and our people will continue to resist until they achieve their freedom … The operation this morning in northern Jerusalem is a new chapter of the Jerusalem intifada…”

Was Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and sacred sites the main reason for this conflict and intifada? That question and others will be answered in this week’s Eye of Prophecy article.

Soon after this latest killing of Israelis, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again pointed the finger of blame at the, “…systematic Palestinian incitement” calling for Mahmoud Abbas to, “condemn the attack and not try to justify it.”

As written by contributing columnist Yoav Limor in an article posted in the online news source Israel Hayom on September 27, 2017 entitled, Unusual attack, limited solutions: “There is no doubt that the Palestinian Authority had nothing to do with the attack or the terrorist…. But the support the Palestinian Authority gives terrorism via incitement, offering no condemnation, and financing the families of security prisoners and terrorists who were killed, all but pushes many Palestinians to embark on the path of terrorism….”

Was there condemnation from the Palestinian Authority, the governing entity in the so-called West Bank (Judea-Samaria) who’s President, Mahmoud Abbas ironically bears the same first name as the Arab murderer? Normally, there would not have been. Under intense international pressure, especially from the United States, Abbas uttered a token (politically correct) condemnation—but not until this past Thursday, well over 48 hours after the brutal attack.

(Scene of the Har Adar Shootings)

Even on the rare occasion when Abbas condemns Palestinian murder of Jews to the international public in English, he will later justify and even praise the attack to his people in Arabic.

Citing social media, especially among young Palestinians planning attacks and Israeli security such as Shin Bet preempting many of those plots hatched as a result of incitement from the Palestinian Authority, columnist Yoav Limor goes on to say:

“In this respect, Jamal (the Arab who killed the three security officers on July 26th) was different. Neither young nor particularly active on social media, he did not meet the profile of the average terrorist. On the contrary—he was a married man in his late 30s, a father of four, with no prior record of any security offense or known affiliation, who had received consecutive work permits in Israel. It is quite possible that some of the people he murdered knew him, or at least recognized him, as he had worked in Har Adar for years.”

Mahmoud Jamal was one of a large number of West Bank Palestinians (about 100,000 in all) who have been issued permits to work at Israeli and Israeli-Arab businesses throughout Israel, especially in and around Jerusalem. In fact, the guards he shot and killed were engaged in their daily check-point duties that allowed him and other Arabs from the nearby Palestinian village of Beit Surik (where he lived) access outside the West Bank. These permits are similar to work visas that, for example, allow foreigners to work in the United States for specified periods of time. Also that of “green card” immigrants in America, except that the Palestinians do not live in Israel proper because they have declined to apply for Israeli citizenship.

(Example of Israeli Security Permitting Palestinians to Enter Israel with Proper Identification and Work or Visitation Permits)

On the other hand, that “difference” cited by Yoav Limor is exactly what makes these atrocities repulsively the same. Meaning that it exposes and confirms the ultimate reason why Arabs continue to kill Jews. Which we will identify shortly, by process of eliminating those reasons (excuses) that much of the world believes to be the apparent cause of Palestinian terrorism.

In another Israel Hayom article also posted on September 27th, the day after this troubled man murdered the three Israelis in cold blood, we read a statement by Israeli Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh:

“Unfortunately, there is no real profile for terrorists. We’ve seen elderly terrorists, single and married women, youths—we’ve seen that in recent years, many terrorists have personal issues. It could be anyone who decides that he or she is fed up, and they carry out terrorists attacks to garner some respect.”

*Note: It was reported that Mahmoud Jamal’s wife had left him and fled to Jordan leaving him with their four children, because he beat her. He may have been committing what is called, “suicide by cop.” Whether that was his intent or not, it’s painfully evident that he would kill as many Jews as he could before he was silenced.

PA President Mahmoud Abbas Latest Speech at the United Nations

On Wednesday, September 20th, 2017—just a week before Mahmoud Jamal’s murderous rampage—the Palestinian Authority President spoke again at the United Nations. Why Abbas is even allowed to address the United Nations is beyond me, as he is not the leader of a nation or state as such. Even before the UN granted “non-member status” to the Palestinian Authority in 2012, Mahmoud Abbas had addressed the UN, as had his predecessor Yasser Arafat.

Actually there is a reason. It’s the United Nations itself (especially UNESCO) which has become a mouthpiece not just for anti-Semitic nations to denigrate Israel; but for NGOs (non-government organizations) and ethnic groups to spout anti-Israel propaganda to all who will listen. Little wonder that the attack took place not long after Abbas’ rabble-rousing speech to the UN General Assembly. The incitement created by Abbas’s malicious and blatantly false accusations against Israel (and Great Britain) contributes to Palestinian terrorism; but it’s not the only nor even the main reason why Muslims continue to attack and kill Jews whenever and wherever they can.

Moments after his (politically correct) wish for Jews to have a “Happy New Year” (his speech took place last week on the eve of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year of 5778), Abbas launched into a tirade against Great Britain concerning the Balfour Declaration of 1917—which he had also done several months ago.

(Mahmoud Abbas’s UN Speech. His Hand Gesture Could Be Silently Saying that “Israel Doesn’t Deserve Even This Much Land”)

According to Abbas’s warped and prejudicial view, the Balfour Declaration endorsed by Great Britain: “…inflicted a grave injustice on the Palestinian people.”

Part of his rationale for this “injustice” was his allegation that only 3% of the population of Palestine in 1917 were Jews. When, in fact, of the 600,000 inhabitants of the territory known as Palestine (there has never been a nation called Palestine), 90,000 were Jews—15% of the population in 1917.

He went on to say that the Palestine of 1917 was a, “prosperous, progressive country” and the British Mandate that enforced the Balfour Declaration was a “historical injustice.”

Prosperous, progressive country? Not even close. Not in 1917 or even in 1947. Palestine was not a country at that time or since. It was a territory formerly controlled by the Ottoman Empire, then by the British as a result of their victory over the Ottoman Turks in 1917. The designation of Palestinians referred primarily to the Jews of that day, and did so until Israel was reborn as a sovereign state in 1948. That’s when Palestine was called by its rightful historical name of Israel, and that’s when it began to be prosperous and progressive—thanks exclusively to the Jews. It wasn’t until 1964 that the Arabs referred to themselves as Palestinians on a regular basis, when they created the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).

Mahmoud Abbas also said in his speech, “What is worse is that this November, (the British government) wants to celebrate the 100th anniversary of this crime against our people.”

He insisted that the UK “apologize” for the Balfour Declaration, and demanded that the British “provide compensation.” And, of course, Abbas seized the opportunity afforded to him by the UN to blast Israel … accusing Israel of “apartheid,” calling for a boycott of Israel.

Danny Danon, Israeli Ambassador to the UN, said of Abbas’ diatribe: “Mahmoud Abbas has spread falsehoods from the UN podium which encourage hate, instead of ending the education towards violence in the PA. Today’s lies and excuses have proven once again that the Palestinian leadership is a serial evader of peace.”

Although Abbas deliberately evades the truth about Arab rejection of a Palestinian State alongside of Israel (what he really wants is a Palestinian state in place of Israel), he is right about the historical significance of the Balfour Declaration. It eventually led to the rebirth of the Jewish state.

Here is an excerpt from Eye of Prophecy article, The Balfour Declaration … Beginning of the Omega Generation, Part I, posted 5-20-17; Part II posted on 5-27-17.

At that time, the Balfour Declaration was the single greatest event in history since the tragic dispersion of the Jews from Israel when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. It was the beginning fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies guaranteeing the final restoration of Israel and salvation of the Jews. Accordingly, it was also the beginning of the final (Omega) generation identified by Jesus that involves the entire world as found in his amazing disclosure of the end times while on the Mount of Olives with his disciples.

Then another excerpt near the end of that article:

Certainly, the Balfour Declaration was the “right and moral thing to do.” But it was more than that. Whether Lord Balfour realized it or not, his courageous initiative to speak for both Britain and the Jews was an acknowledgment and affirmation of God’s divine mandate to nations and peoples the world over concerning his majestic plan for Israel and the nations. One that absolutely will come to pass including the fall of nations who seek to harm Israel, and the success of those who support Israel in the journey of reaching God’s destiny for Israel and the Jewish people.

(The Original Boundaries of Israel as Specified by God Were Much Broader Than Modern-Day Israel … And Will Be Again Upon Messiah’s Return)

Supposed Reasons for Palestinian and Muslim Intifada (Including Lone-Wolf Attacks) against the Jews

Although the following four issues are factors of Palestinian terrorism, they are not the fundamental cause and origin. Nevertheless, these features are part of the Palestinian and Muslim nations’ propaganda accepted by peoples (especially liberals) and entire countries the world over as plausible, even justified reasons why Arabs attack Jews. Because these reasons have been discussed at length in several prior Eye of Prophecy articles and for sake of time/space in today’s article, they will be looked at only in summary review.

(1) Temple Mount Desecration

Stated earlier from a previous Eye of Prophecy article: Not that Arabs need a stated reason to kill Jews, but the latest and most prevalent excuse is to protect the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Temple Mount from what they call (non-existent) Jewish desecration.

As a reminder, it was Mahmoud Abbas’ inflammatory statements made in September, 2015 which fueled the lone-wolf attacks—about 400 to date … some successful, others not—that have resulted in dozens of Israeli deaths (including two Americans) and hundreds of injuries. You might recall that Abbas provoked his people to prevent the filthy feet of the Jews from desecrating Temple Mount.

My commentary: Simply not true.

There has been absolutely no Israeli desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque or the Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount. But as long as the Palestinian Authority continues to pathologically publish these incendiary lies, what do you think the Palestinians will continue to do? Rhetorical question if ever there was one. Still, neither this issue nor the three to follow are the real reasons. They are more like symptoms, not the disease.

(2) Israeli Occupation of Palestine through Dispossession of a Palestinian People

Recall, Jewish occupation of Palestine was the main reason given by the Hamas spokesperson after the latest murder of Israelis.

My commentary: Nothing could be further from the truth.

Once again, there is no such thing as Palestine (a state or nation). There is no Palestinian people, language, or nationality. Palestine is Israel. Period. The true occupiers are Arabic speaking Arabs, most of whom have Jordanian passports; who now call themselves Palestinians as though they exist as a nation and Israel doesn’t. The Promised Land of Israel was given to the Jews as a title deed in perpetuity by the true and living God. If Islam’s god Allah and Muslims want to contest and continue their protest against this fact, then they will need to take it up directly with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

In his speech to the UN, Mahmoud Abbas didn’t pass up the opportunity to once again demand a “right of return” of all Palestinians who he claims are refugees expelled by the Jews during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence. As indicated in a few prior Eye of Prophecy articles, it was the armies of five Arab nations that told the Arabs to leave Israel so they wouldn’t be in the way until the Jews were annihilated. Of course, that didn’t happen. Israel won that war against what all military experts consider insurmountable odds. As were the Israelis miraculously victorious again in the Six-Day War of 1967 and the Yom Kippur War of 1973.

(Five Arab Nations/Armies Attacked Israel on May 15th, Day After Israel Became a State. The Fifth of These Arab Countries Not Shown on Map is Iraq)

Not only the few (old in age now) Arabs who remain from 1948, but Abbas includes in his right of return all of their descendants, who now number in the millions. By sheer numbers and by the exorbitant expanse of land in Israel needed for these refugees, this would, in effect, eliminate Israel as a viable nation. The majority of these Arabs outside Israel live in refugee camps in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. Refugee camps because those Arab nations have refused to this day to grant citizenship to their displaced Palestinian brothers. Not to mention that when Israel became a State in 1948, several Arab nations evicted most of the Jews living in those countries with not much more than the clothes they were wearing. But I’ll mention it anyway! Actually, this turned out to be a good thing for the Jews as many of them immigrated to Israel!

As long as 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation (Palestinian) Arabs believe the lie that Israel is Palestine and belongs to them—with the Jews as the occupiers and settlers—they will continue to rationalize their “resistance fighter’s” murder of Israelis.

(3) Apartheid

All of the professed reasons for Palestinians to wage intifada against Israel are pernicious, but none more so than the patently false accusation that is catching on the world over. I’m talking about the word, “apartheid” being applied to Israel, comparing it to South Africa during its apartheid days.

In fact, Webster’s Dictionary even references South Africa in its definition of apartheid: “Racial segregation: a policy of segregation and political and economic discrimination against non-European groups in the Republic of So. Africa.”

My commentary regarding the comparison to Israel: Absolutely false.

There is unequivocally no such thing in form or substance that even resembles apartheid in Israel.

The following three areas of “discrimination” or “segregation” are included in the definition of apartheid:

Racial (and Religious): Israelis go out of their way to ensure racial and religious freedom and equality throughout Israel. And they do so to a fault. Relinquishing their own right of religious freedom to, for example, worship on Temple Mount … just to maintain the “status quo” and prevent what would be an even larger intifada.

Political: Israeli Arabs (citizens of Israel) serve in Israel’s government, the Knesset. Obviously, they have the right to vote. The only reason the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza Strip don’t have the right to vote or serve in Israeli government is because they’re not citizens of Israel. The reason they are not citizens is because they have chosen not to be. And the reason they have chosen not to be … well, we’ll get to that in a moment when explaining the real reason for Arab animosity and violence against the Jews.

Economic (and Educational): Arab Israelis are free to attend Jewish schools, start their own businesses, and go wherever they please for their shopping and recreation in Israel. As indicated earlier, many non-citizen Palestinians have been granted permits to work for Arab and Israeli companies in Israel. That is exactly what the Palestinian murderer of the three Israelis had done for several years. In the cruelest fashion imaginable (murder), the Palestinians continue to bite the hand that feeds them.

So much more could be said about the absence of any Israeli discrimination against Arabs. The Palestinians and Israeli-Arabs are afforded more freedom in Israel (by far) than granted to their brothers and sisters in nearby Arab countries. In summary, there is simply no apartheid in Israel. In that regard, I’m going to bluntly state: those who claim otherwise are either ignorant or liars.

(4) A Palestinian State … Lack Thereof

Naturally, Abbas also conveniently failed to mention that the UN Resolution of 1947 called for what was tantamount to a two-state solution; one state for the Jews and one for the Arabs. That the Arabs flatly refused to live alongside a Jewish state even though they could have had a state of their own. Nor would he dare say that the Jews now outnumber the Arabs in Israel and have for several years. Which is why he goes all the way back to the Balfour Declaration to make his perverted point.

My commentary: None of the above reasons, including lack of a Palestinian State, is ultimately why Palestinians in particular and Muslims in general continue to kill Jews—whether in Israel or Paris or Berlin or London, or anywhere.

Recently, Mahmoud Abbas and his Palestinian Authority have gone so far as to audaciously accuse Israel (and the United States) of discarding the two-state solution. When, in fact, the Palestinians not only turned down this option in 1947-48, but also forfeited what would have led to a Palestinian State in 2002 and again in 2008, when they flatly rejected generous (but misguided) offers from Israeli Prime Ministers Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert for complete Palestinian autonomy in some 95% of the West Bank including East Jerusalem.

The only way the Palestinians would even remotely agree to a Palestinian State is with their already stated pre-negotiated conditions of East Jerusalem as the capital and return of all aforementioned “refugees.” Also, a reversal to pre-1967 cease-fire boundaries within Israel, including the Golan Heights and all of the Jordan Valley. These demands would leave the Israelis virtually indefensible. Which is exactly what the Palestinians want and would take advantage if granted this kind of state with these conditions.

It would be just a matter of time before a Palestinian State would be embolden to attack Israel with the probable assistance of Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the nations of Syria, Iran, Turkey, and perhaps even Russia.

(This Doesn’t Even Include the Golan Heights, the High-Ground Strategic Area North, Near Syria)

At the very least, the current lone-wolf attacks would continue. Ironically, what the Arabs don’t know is that Russia, Iran, Turkey, and smaller Arab nations will, in fact, attack Israel—but not until after the Rapture occurs. Which is of no concern to the Arabs (or sadly of many Jews) because they don’t believe in Messiah Jesus as their only source of salvation and hope for the future when he returns as Prince of Peace and King of kings.

To Negotiate or Not to Negotiate

Shortly after the July 26th killing of the three Israelis, Israel’s Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that there was, “no difference between Palestinian terrorism and radical terrorism targeting sites in Europe and elsewhere. Before talking about any kind of negotiations, the world must demand of the Palestinians to stop its incitement and encouragement of terrorism.”

Regarding any serious negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians, the following is an excerpt from an Eye of Prophecy article, Let’s Make a Deal, posted 12-14-13. That article was in the context of the November, 2013 meeting between the G5 + 1 nations and Iran, which later would result in the now infamous Iran Nuclear Deal.

At about that same time, the Israelis had just released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners to appease the Palestinian Authority and the United States in preparation for potential negotiations between Israel and the PA which Mahmoud Abbas later reneged on. Here is the excerpt applying to both the pending Iran Nuclear Deal (at that time) and Israeli/Palestinian peace conference that never materialized (in italics):

Would you make a deal with someone whose main purpose in life was to destroy you and members of your family or your best friend? How do you negotiate with those who would lie to you, cheat you, and ultimately kill you to accomplish their warped objectives? Where do you start? What do you say? How sure can you be? Why are you even there in the first place?

Regardless of your view on the right or wisdom of Israel to act independently of the US, or the G5+1, or the entire world, I would again ask: Would you sit down at the table with an enemy who has sworn to do anything and everything they can to terminate your existence on this earth? And keep in mind that Iran has not only threatened to wipe Israel from the global map, it has also avowed to destroy the “Great Satan.” That’s right. Iran refers to America as the Great Satan; Israel is only the “little Satan.” We should be so honored?!

Then towards the end of that article, I wrote:

Never before in history has the entire world been so focused on one little nation inhabited by a mere six million Jews. (Note: It’s now closer to 6.5 million Jews). And yet that’s exactly what the Bible predicted. In addition to several million Arabs in Israel, surrounding Arab countries number in the hundreds of millions, with land space that dwarfs Israel; enough land to accommodate millions more Arabs. But oddly and unfortunately many of these nations fight among themselves (Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon).

Even more nonsensically, they blame the Jews for their misfortunes. However, they do have one basic mindset: They detest Israel. I suppose if they ever agree on how best to govern themselves (Sunni or Shi’ite Muslim law), then they might (God forbid) agree on how to best destroy Israel. Or perhaps they think and hope that Iran will do that for them. Personally, I don’t dislike the Arabs or the Persians. I sometimes pray for their salvation, as I often do for the Jews. I will do my best to pray equally for both peoples….

The Real Reason That Palestinians and Muslim Nations Want to Kill Jews and Destroy Israel

All of the aforementioned reasons why the world at large thinks that Palestinians kill Jews are really nothing more than opportunity created excuses.

With the actual motive simply and sadly: Arabs and Muslims hate the Jews and despise the sovereign nation of Israel.

This bitter hostility retroactively goes beyond the Yom Kippur and Six-Day Wars, past the rebirth of Israel in 1948; it reverts further back than the Balfour Declaration and even Muslim persecution of Jews since Mohammed invented Islam. It goes all the way back to Ishmael and Isaac; with the Arab nations descending from Ishmael and the Jewish nation from Isaac, whom God chose instead of Ishmael as the child of promise. Isaac would be the progenitor of the ultimate Child of Promise, Messiah Jesus. (Please see Eye of Prophecy articles, The Child of Promise Part I & II. Posted 8-23 & 8-30-14).

To Hagar, mother of Ishmael and his descendants, the angel said: “…You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’) for the Lord has heard your cry of distress. This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives” (Genesis 16:11-12).

Then, do you remember Abraham’s reaction when God reaffirmed to him that his wife Sarah would, herself, bear the child of promise?

“Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. ‘How could I become a father at the age of 100?’ he thought. ‘And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?’ So Abraham said to God, ‘May Ishmael live under your special blessing!’

“But God replied, ‘No—Sarah, your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac, and I will confirm my covenant with him and his descendants as an everlasting covenant. As for Ishmael, I will bless him also, just as you have asked. I will make him extremely fruitful and multiply his descendants. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will be confirmed with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah about this time next year” (Genesis 17:17-21).

Earlier in this same scene, God reaffirmed the Promised Land portion of the covenant with Abraham. “And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God” (Genesis 17:8).

Ishmael hated Isaac because, as the oldest child, he was passed over in favor of Isaac as God’s covenant child. This seething hatred has not dissipated to this very day, despite God keeping his promise to greatly multiply Ishmael’s descendants. Like Isaac’s son Jacob, Ishmael was also the father of twelve sons. Moreover, today’s Arabs far outnumber the Jews (except in Israel) and their land space is roughly equivalent to all of the United States compared to the state of New Jersey (the size of Israel).

Concerning the hostility against all his (Ishmael’s) relatives: History and current events have clearly demonstrated that Arabs not only detest the Jews, but Arabs have fought each other for centuries, including today’s vicious wars between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims. From time to time some peoples and nations have battled each other over internal issues such as America’s Civil War. Even the Jews divided into two kingdoms for some four hundred years after King Solomon’s reign. However, I know of no other racial group that have been at such odds with other peoples/nations and with each other for so long (nearly 4,000 years) than have the Arabs.

Things to Ponder

This week’s Eye of Prophecy article is posted on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), one of the most important of the seven annual Jewish Festivals. During last’s year’s Jewish fall festivals, I wrote a series of five articles on these seven feasts.

The first article: Messiah and the Jewish Festivals … An Extraordinary Connection! Posted 9-24-16. The fifth article: Sukkot: The Forever Festival! Posted 10-22-16.

We’ll conclude with an excerpt from the final portion of the fourth article in that series: Yom Kippur / With or Without Atonement? Published 10-15-16, very close to Yom Kippur of last year. The summary of that article was directed with love toward the Jews, combined this year with the hope that the Palestinians also will see God’s love expressed through the gift of his Son, Messiah Jesus, to die on the cross for their sins, too.

We who love Israel will continue to “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalms 122:6). Praying for peace is the same as praying that all Israel will someday soon be saved (Romans 10:1).

For until and unless Israel comes to a saving knowledge of Messiah Jesus and is made right with God by believing and accepting him as God’s only remedy for sin, individually and as a nation, there will be no peace with God. Unless there is Shalom with God, there cannot be real peace between peoples.

When all of Israel is saved by changing their minds and hearts about Messiah (who he is and what he has done and will do for them), then the Jews will have accomplished the very purpose for God choosing them as his special possession. Which is to be a source of light to the Gentiles: through the Promised Messiah from the tribe of Judah and the genealogy of King David—descended from Isaac, the promised son of Abraham.

Says the Lord about his Messiah: “…You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).

While in the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem, Jesus said: “…I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life” (John 8:12).

For a brief, shining moment, Christ Jesus while on this earth brought back the Shekinah glory of God to the Temple. And he will do so again upon his imminent arrival to this war-torn, wicked, and weary world.

Yes, Israel, your Messiah has already come. And he will return soon in great glory and power (Matthew 24:30).

If only you could see that. If only you could somehow realize that the horrible things that men have done to you were not Christian (Christ ones) at all—who misused and abused and distorted the true Christian faith. Also, there are some Christians who have misapplied the Scriptures; who have erred grievously in thinking that the true Church (body of Messiah) has replaced Israel. We have not. Rather, we are a product of and a partner in the fulfillment of Israel’s destiny. We have seen the light that God has shone through the Jewish Messiah.

To believe in Yeshua as your Messiah is the most Jewish thing you could ever do or be.

We, who have truly been born again by the precious blood of Messiah Jesus, love you and long for your Day of Atonement.

But most of all, Hashem, the Lord your God loves you. So much so that he sent his beloved Son, to die for you. (Isaiah 53 & John 3).

And know this: All terrorism and war will cease when Messiah Jesus returns.